By Erica Cogland
On February 23, 2017, the Department of Communication Studies hosted its inaugural event of the Alumni Mentor Program. Held in the TV Studio, the event featured five of our alums who were brimming with advice for the 40 or so students in attendance. The program was proposed to Dr. D’Angelo, department chair, by Stefanie Urso (Class of ’14) in the Fall 2016 semester. After a few months of planning and collaborating, the Program took off and it now boasts 39 mentees and 30 alumni mentors.
At the event, students got the opportunity to meet and network with six successful and inspiring TCNJ alumnae. The panelists were Rachel Chlebowski (RTF, ’14), Raquel Fleig (P/M, ’10), Kendall Anderson (I/O, with Health Comm concentration, ’06), Hilarey Wojtowicz (JPW, Comm minor, ’13), and Rowena Briones Winkler (P/M, ’08). Ms. Urso moderated the discussion.
Our students were engrossed by the panelists’ energy, tales of experience, and sage advice from a variety of career paths. Alumnae generously shared their experiences in the areas of project management, advertising, journalism, university-level teaching and research, and health communication. Students were given critical advice about how to shine in an interview, how to advance in a career, and how to handle conflict in the workplace. The personal anecdotes the alumnae shared were invaluable and truly captured the amazing opportunities available to graduates who pursue a career in communication.
After the panel discussion, students and mentors continued their discussions one-on-one, where some new mentor-mentee relationships were forged. With the success of its inaugural event, the Alumni Mentoring Program is truly off to a great start!
Alumni mentor panel. |
Communication Studies students in the audience. |