By Michelle Seitz, Staff Writer
On September 28, the Career Development Center hosted its Breakthrough networking event in Washington, D.C. At this event, students had the opportunity to job shadow and network with Susquehanna alumni.
The Breakthrough DC event is similar to other Breakthrough events in which a group of students and faculty take a bus trip to a specific destination and the students had the opportunity to experience a certain field of work firsthand. Breakthrough DC alternates every year with the Career Development Center’s Break- through trip to Philadelphia.
According to Whitney Purcell, the director of Breakthrough, 22 students of a variety of majors attended the event. In groups, the students visited five job sites of Susquehanna alumni where they had the opportunity to see how he or she performed his or her job as well as ask questions on how to make the most out of their experiences both at Susquehanna and in the work force.
After job shadowing, all participants attended a dinner reception where the students were given the opportunity to network with 25 alumni. It features an event known as “speed networking.”
In speed networking, students and alumni have a few minutes to get to know one another and discuss a topic of their choice. This allows students to reach out to alumni they may not have had the chance to communicate with throughout the day.
Many alumni are living proof that there are many jobs students can receive from their field. Purcell spoke of Pete Rendina, an employee at the United States Postal Inspection Service. She feels he sets a “great example of how diverse government jobs are.”
Purcell and the entire Career Development Center staff cannot stress enough the importance of networking. They believe it helps build a competitive strategy where a student befriends an alumnus and seeks out his or her advice prior to entering the workforce.
Sophomore business administration major Michaela O’Connell attended the Breakthrough trip, visiting the Food and Drug Administration. O’Connell shadowed an alumnus who works to regulate smoking paraphernalia. Throughout the day she realized, “There is much more work that goes into [cigarette regulation] than I realized and there is an endless amount of opportunities for students to conduct research and make lasting impacts.”
In regards to the overall experience, O’Connell said: “In addition to making some great connections, I also was put and made to maintain myself, in a professional environment, which was a great practice. Overall it was an incredible experience and I encourage everyone to take advantage of these Breakthrough trips.”
The next Breakthrough trip will be to New York on Nov. 1.
