Who better to talk with Brooks School students about developing skills for their future job searching and networking than Brooks alumni?

Five graduates returned to campus on January 18 to serve as mentors during an interactive "professional skills and networking seminar" for current students hosted by the Alumni Board: Kelsey Domoracki '11, Rachel Feingold '14, Gabi Hillner '17, Katie Keating '88 and Hannah Latham '17.

Students in all class years were invited to the 90-minute evening event in the Science Forum, where attendees learned how to draft a resume, build a LinkedIn profile and use social media to market themselves online.

The group also discussed networking best practices and posed for professional headshots — that they could immediately use as their LinkedIn profile photo — with Latham, a photographer.

"This is something I wish I had in high school before going off to college," said Assistant Director of Alumni Programs Angela Augusta, who facilitated the event. "Adults may wonder, 'Do they really care about these aspects of growth yet?' but of course they do. It was amazing seeing students organically talking to alumni about their aspirations, asking questions and simultaneously networking — without realizing that they were!"

Even without all the skills this seminar taught, "it was a great opportunity for students to meet some exceptional alumni," Augusta added.

See an album of photos from the January 18 networking event

Feedback from the Brooksians who participated has been positive — and personal. "Each one of them told me they felt like they gained something from attending and that they want the seminar to be held annually," Augusta reported. "Students started following the alumni volunteers on LinkedIn, crafting their resumes and asking if they could come meet with me about hosting their own events. It was awesome."

After speaking with Katie Keating '88, one of the students declared, "I feel like I could start my own business!" Augusta recalled.

"That sentence made me smile because it was the entire point of the seminar; to show the students they can do that, too ... Anything is possible," she said, "I hope both students and alumni realize how impactful they are to one another."

Watch part of the event presentation below and network with fellow alumni via Brooksians Connect:

"Students were able to have authentic conversations with the alumni volunteers about personal and professional growth in an organic way," said Assistant Director of Alumni Programs Angela Augusta.

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