The Undergraduate Communication Association is holding its annual Spring Networking Night tonight in the Charles E. Young Grand Salon in Kerckhoff Hall.
The event strives to make it a more intimate networking night than others with a small panel and one-on-one sessions, said Allyse Engelder, co-president of the association. The event is open to all students, not just those in communication studies, Engelder said.
“What makes this most unique to me is being able to speak with professional people you wouldn’t normally be able to get into contact with,” said Kellie Taylor, treasurer of the UCA.
The scheduled panel will consist of speakers from Disney Consumer Products, the public relations firm Hill & Knowlton, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Screen Gems, Lisa Carey Public Relations, and the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation.
While the St. Joseph Foundation is not necessarily in the communications field, the association tries to incorporate at least one nonprofit into the panel, Engelder said.
Engelder interned with the foundation last summer and said she found it to be a very rewarding experience. She was able to help out with special events the foundation hosts to raise money for research and expansion.
The panel is also different from others held on campus, said Megan Rose, advertising coordinator for the UCA. Speakers will share their personal stories from college, other businesses they have worked for and where they are at now.
Following the panel will be a question-and-answer session in which students can gain insight on their specific interests. In the past, this has commonly been a time when students discuss what their resumes should look like, Engelder said. Recently, students have also been concerned with how the economy is affecting these different industries, she added.
The last portion of the night is the one-on-one sessions, Taylor said. While the event officially ends at 8:30 p.m., students can stay and talk to as many panelists from the night as they want, she added.
“These industries are hard to break into, but the networking night allows you to network with those who have already made it in the industry and are wanting to help you out,” Rose said.