By Ghiana Guzman & Mariane St. Juste

On Sunday, December 22, Susan opened her lovely home to us for the FirstGenAhead Networking Reception. Prior to the event, we prepared some questions for us to ask and some conversation starters. On the train ride to Susan’s, we practiced our elevator pitches. It was a beautiful day out so we took the time on the walk from the train station to ease our nerves about networking. It was only once we were in Susan’s home and began talking to people that we found we had little to be nervous about. We enjoyed delicious appetizers and refreshments while conversations flowed smoothly as everyone we encountered was genuinely engaged and wanted to be helpful to us in any capacity. Whether by sharing their experiences with us, engaging with the experiences we shared, offering job shadows or opening their networks to us, everyone who attended ensured that our conversations were genuine and meaningful.

Following the event, we both agreed that this experience was pleasant and successful. Not only did we get to dress up in our business casual attire and apply our networking skills, but we made many new connections as well. This experience put us in good positions for future job shadows and support from those who attended. Additionally, conversations sparked new ideas for fields and careers of interest that we can now explore.

Based on our experience, here is some advice for students attending networking events:
1. Don’t be nervous! No one knows you better than you do. Confidence is important when networking. Be proud of the work that you’ve done and be open to sharing that.
2. Prepare! Take a look at your resume, practice your elevator pitches with family or friends, and try to learn about the individuals who are attending the event to target specific questions about their experiences.
3. Ask Questions! People love sharing information about what they do, so ask.
4. Take down others’ contact information. This will allow you to send a follow-up email to continue to build on conversations that took place at the event or to just simply thank them for their advice.
5. Determine what your goal is before the event. What do you hope to get out of the experience? This is very important because once you determine what your goal is, you’ll have a better sense of how to prepare and navigate the event.

Thank you to Susan for inviting us into her home and hosting this lovely reception for us, and to everyone who attended for engaging us sincerely.

Pictured in photo above (L-R): Martha Wagner, Carolyn Libby, Mariane St. Juste, and Ghiana Guzman