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Career Services’ first ever Arts, Entertainment, and Media Networking Night was a resounding success. Approximately 70 students and 30 alumni gathered at the Princeton Club in New York City on March 5 to discuss opportunities in the field.
“We were very happy with our first Arts, Entertainment, and Media Networking Night,” says Maureen Walz Boehmer, assistant director for special events, Career Services. “This was a great opportunity for students to network with alumni in the fields represented. Since these are fields that can be difficult to break into, it was helpful for students to learn more about the fields and to hear advice from alumni based on their personal experiences. Alumni and student feedback has been very positive, so we hope to run the program again in the future.”
For anthropology and sociology major Kara Boodakian ’07(Winchester, Mass.), the networking event was a chance to discover possibilities in a field that doesn’t have a defined career path.
“As an anthropology and sociology major with a minor in music, it is difficult to find my niche at a large career fair or general networking opportunity,” she says. “The focus of this night covered many of the fields I am interested in, and I knew that I could do nothing but benefit from attending the event.”
Boodakian plans to pursue a career in New York City in the media field, with a focus on advertising, sales, promotions, or educational programming. She made several important connections that will help as she begins to look for work.
“I made three or four contacts that I have remained in touch with concerning possible opportunities and advice for the future,” Boodakian says. “Beyond that, I spoke with many alumni about their own journeys of job searching, and I am confident that their advice will assist me in my own post-graduate years.”
English graduate Matt Sinclair ’90, editor of Philanthropy News Digest for The Foundation Center, was impressed with the student turnout.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the number of freshmen who attended and the number of students in attendance overall,” he says. “Clearly, many students enter Lafayette with the mindset that they will gain valuable experience as well as academic rigor during their years on the hill. These young men and women have no intention of letting opportunities slip past them.”
Sinclair not only enjoyed meeting with current Lafayette students, but also staying connected to fellow graduates in similar career fields.
“Having worked in the journalism field for several years, I feel like I have gained enough experience that I can actually help students who are considering the field,” he says. “Though I’m currently an editor, for many years I worked as a reporter covering a broad and exciting field, and I have also worked in a communications department – more akin to public relations than journalism – so my perspective can touch on several areas that students might find interesting for themselves. It also attests to the flexibility that exists within journalism, which not everybody thinks about when starting out.
“Plus, it’s nice for me to have the opportunity to meet other professionals in the same field. There can be a built-in camaraderie because of the similar educational background and work experience. For students and alumni alike, networking is an ongoing part of professional development.”