A Valuable “Experience”
Written by Doug Goodnough
Freshman Cassandra DeVries and senior Justin Nater are on the opposite ends of their academic careers at Hillsdale College. What do they have in common? They both attended Hillsdale College Alumni Tour networking events last month in Michigan.
Experience: Detroit was September 15 at the Detroit Athletic Club, while the Experience: Grand Rapids event was September 29 at the Creston Taproom on the west side of the state. The “Experience” events are a joint effort between Career Services and the Alumni Office. Current students who want to learn more about life, careers, and internships have a unique opportunity to have an in-person networking opportunity with successful alumni.
And many took full advantage of that opportunity. More than 20 Hillsdale College students had a chance to meet and network with alumni from a variety of career fields.
DeVries, from Kalamazoo, Michigan, said her career options are wide open. However, she has a dream of one day becoming a CFO of a large corporation. She said she had a chance to meet several alumni at the Detroit event, and said the experience was a very positive one.
Nater, from Kingwood, Texas, near Houston, is searching for a post-Hillsdale career in finance. As the current president of the College’s Investment Club, he said his group has more than 40 members and is working on several promising investment opportunities. Jim Schuster, ’85, who has a business just a few blocks from the Taproom, was in attendance in Grand Rapids and gave Nater a few business pointers. The former Hillsdale basketball star and finance major is now the owner of Warmington Industries, a consolidating distributor.
Seeing this in-person interaction between students and alumni drove home the role of the Alumni Relations Office. We attempt to connect the past with the present, and what better proof point than to see a room full of alumni and students networking and sharing stories?
And we are not done yet. Alumni and Career Services are again partnering to offer students a unique networking opportunity over fall break. On October 13, there will be two “Explore” overnight events in Chicago and Nashville. Using the same format as the “Experience” events, the only difference is students get a chance to make on-site visits with alumni at their place of employment. There will then be a reception that night at a local establishment where alumni and students can gather in a relaxed environment.
Are you around Chicago or Nashville on October 13? We would love to see you! Look for more of these future opportunities.
Can’t make an event in person? Join The Hub, our online alumni network. Be a mentor, network with fellow alumni, or reconnect with a former classmate. It takes only a few minutes to register at hillsdale.peoplegrove.com.
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s new director of Alumni Marketing. He’s looking forward to connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in October 2022