YORK, Pa. — Penn State York students and alumni who graduated in the past five years have the opportunity to network with business professionals — many of whom are Penn State alumni — in a variety of career fields including engineering, business, human services and nonprofit, during the annual career networking event on Thursday, March 31. This is the fifth year for this event, which is part of a weeklong series of programs to help students connect with alumni and learn about careers through networking. The networking event begins at noon in the Conference Center of the Main Classroom Building. Preregistration is required. Register for the networking event online at http://bit.ly/cnevent16.
Career Week is much more than just a networking event for students and alumni, the week also offers a number of programs that are open to the public and valuable to anyone with their career questions. For a quick look at a list of events, visit http://yk.psu.edu/Information/34770.htm.
“Our fifth annual Career Week features a range of exciting opportunities for Penn State York students and alumni to be proactive in their career planning by connecting with and learning from professionals in the community." said Andrew Caldwell, career services coordinator/DUS adviser and coordinator of Career Week on campus. “Career Week owes it's continued success to the campus-wide collaboration with local professionals who have generously volunteered their time to help Penn State York students achieve their career goals."
Career Week kicks-off from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, March 28, with a panel discussion, Career Paths of Liberal Arts Alumni, featuring graduates from Penn State York’s English and Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS) programs. This presentation offers students an opportunity to learn about the diverse range of potential career paths available after earning a liberal arts degree. The program, in the rehearsal room of the Pullo Family Performing Arts Center (The Pullo Center), is free and open to Penn State York students.
Panelists include: Danielle Blasser, relationship manager, Alpha Factor Division, Perform Group, LLC, 2014 communication arts and science graduate; Andrew Buckmaster, digital marketing manager, Today’s Growth Consultant Inc., 2010 English major graduate; Mary Lee, digital media coordinator, Gavin Advertising, 2014 English major graduate; and Katherine Lewis, retirement specialist, Vanguard Investment Group, 2015 communication arts and sciences graduate.
Also on Monday, March 28, students can learn how to use the Nittany Lion Career Network (NLCN) in a walk-in workshop, Internships at Your Fingertips: Using Nittany Lion Career Network (NLCN), from 3-5 p.m. in the Penn State York Advising and Career Center. NLCN is Penn State’s comprehensive database of jobs and internships with more than 20,000 registered employers and thousands of postings. Career Week continues with the Women in Science Symposium on Tuesday, March 29, from 12-1:30 p.m., in the Conference Center of the Main Classroom Building. The symposium highlights six women scientists representing a diverse collection of careers and academic paths. Students have the opportunity to interact with each panelist in small groups and will learn about different opportunities available for students with science degrees. All panelists are local, so this will be a terrific networking event for students and others interested in science. No preregistration is necessary. Lunch is provided, and the program is open to the public..
Panelists include: Alyssa A. Collins, Ph.D., director, Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center and assist professor of biology, Penn State; Kendra Ebersole, MT(ASCP)SM, medical technologist, microbiology; Kristina Pydynowski, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather; Diana Shoe, D.D.S., dentist at Cole Family dentistry; Rio Stennerm cancer genetic counselor, InformedDNA; and Melissa Tran, study coordinator, viviPharm, LLC.
Have you ever wanted to start your own business? Plan to attend Go/No-Go? Key Questions to Ask Before Starting a Business, on March 29 from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Rehearsal Room of The Pullo Center. SCORE volunteers will answer your questions and offer tips to get you moving in the right direction, or help you improve a current business. This program is free and open to the public.
The week’s activities continues on Wednesday, March 30 with Exploring Eco-Careers: Bright Opportunities in a Greener Economy, at noon in the Rehearsal Room of The Pullo Center. Professionals from a range of occupations will lead a discussion about career paths in areas such as environmental protection, forestry, and agricultural land use planning . Drop by to visit with speakers beginning at 11:30 a.m. with the formal panel beginning at noon. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. This Career Week event is free and open to the public.
Also on March 30, Making the Most of the Career Networking Event, a walk-in workshop, is available from 3-5 p.m. in the Advising and Career Development office, located in the Main Classroom Building. Participants can learn how to be prepared for the Career Networking Event on March 31. A packet of materials will be provided that discuss details of the event, networking tips/etiquette, and more. Staff will be available to discuss the event in detail and answer any questions participants might have.
The final event of Career Week, Friday, April 1, is the annual Penn State York Information Sciences and Technology (IST) Spring Event beginning at 6 p.m. at Heritage Hills Golf Resort, 2700 Mt. Rose Ave., York, Pennsylvania. This event is open to students in the IST program and provides an opportunity for them to connect with IST alumni, learn about career and alumni services, and discover potential career paths within this versatile degree program. Limited space is also available to exploratory students in the Division of Undergraduate Studies considering IST as a major.
Registration is required for this event; contact Iona Conlon, at 717-718-6781 or iona@psu.edu.