In fall 2014, the College launched Connections, a networking initiative designed to give students opportunities and direction to develop professional relationships. As a collaboration between Career Services and the Alumni Office, Connections offers hands-on experiences that bring students together with alumni, community members, faculty, and staff in order to provide a leg-up on their future plans today.
“We have all heard the saying, ‘It’s not just what you know, but who,’” says Michael Bolanz ’00, Saint Joseph’s alumni relations officer. “Connections provides students the chance to network with both their peers and professional colleagues, allowing them to forge lasting, professional bonds.”
Starting with the freshman class, the initiative engages students from convocation to graduation, building upon career workshops and job fairs in their first year, with subsequent opportunities for job shadowing, alumni mentoring, internships, and employer-guided field trips.
As a token of the program, freshmen were given their own, personalized business cards, and upperclassmen can receive their own at Career Services. “These cards enable the exchange of information and cement networking as students go out into the world,” says Bolanz.
For more information about Connections, contact Michael Bolanz at mbolanz@sjcme.edu or 207-893-7894.
