School News
Penn Connections: An Evening of Alumni/Student Networking
In the months and weeks leading up to Commencement, students’ focus begins to move towards planning for life after graduation. To help our students as they begin (or renew) their social work careers, the School hosted Penn Connections on the evening of Thursday, March 16. Over fifty students and alumni attended this premiere networking event that was held in Irvine Auditorium.
The evening began with an alumni-only light buffet dinner, which gave alumni the opportunity to network with each other and connect with classmates and professional peers. After the students arrived, the event continued with a panel presentation by five members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Dean Gelles served as moderator as the panelists – Kevin Grigsby, CRT’84, DSW’90, Geri Summerville, MSW’99, David Dunbeck, MSW’99, Robert Spena, MSW’76, DSW’80, and Sara Gallagher, MSW’95 – answered questions about finding their first jobs, negotiating salary, marketing their social work skills, planning for a career, and other questions posed by the audience.
After the panel, alumni met with students in small groups based on area of practice: children and families; private practice; agency administration; health, mental health, and aging; school social work; and academia. This portion of the program enabled students to explore in detail those areas of social work specialization which they might pursue for a career.
With only two months until graduation, students mentioned that the event was “extremely informative” and “very helpful and inspiring.” Plans for next year’s Penn Connections are already underway, and the Alumni Association and Alumni Relations Office look forward to expanding this event to offer more networking, mentoring, and informational opportunities for both students and alumni.