Program Gives St. Lawrence University Students Chance to Network with Alumni in Nation's Capital

CANTON, N.Y. - Feb. 19, 2016 - PRLog -- It’s a well-known fact to students and alumni that St. Lawrence University is situated in the far-reaches of Northern New York State. Its location is exactly what many are drawn to and love about this place. It’s also no surprise that opportunities for careers tend to reside in larger metropolitan areas, with high concentrations of industry and wealth.

For some St. Lawrence students, the thought of looking for internships and work in a big city can be an overwhelmingly daunting prospect. Yet, it doesn’t have to be, and that’s what the recently launched SLU Connect program is meant to help them realize.

“Before going on the SLU Connect (D.C.), I assumed that moving to such a big city entailed starting a completely new life on my own,” said Emily Parent ’18, a native a Queensbury, New York, which is situated at the edge of the Adirondack Park. “I realize now that our alumni are so supportive and eager to help. We are connected through a network that makes D.C. feel much more tight-knit.”

SLU Connect began in 2015 in Washington, D.C., with the concept that students need exposure to alumni in high-powered professions in order to better prepare them to compete for coveted internships, especially in larger cities that house well-known universities. The program continued for its second year, bringing 33 St. Lawrence students—mostly sophomores and junior—to the nation’s capital for three days in January to meet with alumni who work for federal government, private industry and who even own their own businesses.

“There’s a lot for everyone,” said R. Christopher Di Mezzo ’18 of Lee Center, New York, a small community north of the Utica/Rome area. “Even if the alums that we met weren’t in the field that a student was interested in, they knew somebody who was. They’re very well-connected people, and they really know the city well.

One of the sites students got to visit was the iconic J. Edgar Hoover Building, where Paul Wood ’85 supervises intelligence analysis as a unit chief for the FBI. Wood became involved after a chance encounter with his classmate Mike Arpey ’85, one of the principle supporters of SLU Connect.

“Our offices are about a block away from each other on Pennsylvania Avenue,” Wood said. “One day I was walking to work and ran into him. We had lunch together, and then he brought me in.”

Wood took part in ROTC as a St. Lawrence student and knew he’d have a job after graduation. For many students, however, their career paths are often less prescribed. That’s why, Wood said, students need to start considering what’s out there long before graduation.

“It’s great that they’re taking part in this program early because it gives them a chance to reflect upon what they’re doing and what they may want to do,” he said. “Students can talk to professionals about what skills might complement their major. They’re already getting a solid education from St. Lawrence, but this gives them the opportunity to think about their skills and where they may fit.”

Despite its rural roots, career prospects for St. Lawrence students abound, with nearly 80 percent of Laurentians finding employment less than one year after graduation, often in their choice field. While close connections between students and alumni play a significant role, so does the education students receive at St. Lawrence. Wood and FBI human resources saw those skills in action firsthand.

“When they were at FBI headquarters, I brought in a human resources team, who queried the students about their studies and their skills,” he said. “And you could see that they were impressed, especially when they got to foreign languages and students started rattling off what languages they knew. The head of HR recruitment even said ‘I hope we get some applications.’”

SLU Connect allows students to recognize that they have become part of a powerful network that can help pave their way to success. All they have to do now is tap into it.

“(The purpose of) the trip was to facilitate students’ connections with alumni and for them to learn how to network in the city that they eventually want to see themselves in,” Christopher said. “I was unfamiliar with that world, and it’s the world I want to break into. So, having an opportunity like that is perfect to insert myself into it and try and see if it works for me.”

For more information about past and future SLU Connect programs, contact Career Services (http://www.stlawu.edu/career-services) at 315-229-5906.