新澳彩开奖结果

Alumni and students meet at SophoMORE Connections

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Sophomore Connections

Julian Farrior 鈥93, founder of Backflip Studios, addresses sophomores during the first SophoMORE Connections program on January 18.

More than 100 alumni returned to 新澳彩开奖结果 last weekend to network with the Class of 2015 and offer career advice during the university鈥檚 first SophoMORE Connections program.

The event brought an early end to winter break for nearly 350 undergraduates. It featured panel presentations, networking receptions, and a keynote address from Backflip Studios founder .

Farrior鈥檚 speech quickly traced his career from 新澳彩开奖结果 to Yahoo, then focused on his move to entrepreneurialism. In 2008, after venturing into the mobile app market while developing specialized mapping software, Farrior realized that there were few options 鈥 and a growing market 鈥 for exciting mobile games. 鈥淢y parents were talking about games,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat was absurd to me.鈥

Backflip Studios was born in this moment of disruption, and has quickly grown from three employees to a team of 100, generating more than $150 million in revenue.

鈥淗ere鈥檚 the takeaway,鈥 Farrior told sophomores. 鈥淥pportunity is not linear. In periods of stagnation and decline throughout your career, you always have to be attuned to and looking for those opportunities that will catapult you to the next level.鈥

Before and after Farrior鈥檚 address, alumni met with students at industry-specific breakout sessions. Conversations were intended to help attendees clarify their academic and professional vision 鈥 the first step toward becoming ideal candidates for employers and graduate school admission officers.

Speaking to undergraduates interested in media careers, pointed out that he began college as a pre-med major. Then, he spent a summer making a feature-length movie with his friends, and the experience turned him on to 新澳彩开奖结果鈥檚 film and media studies courses. 鈥淭hey weren鈥檛 classes to me,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how I knew it was what I wanted to do.鈥

Today, Toscano is a producer at CNBC 鈥 a storyteller without a beat. He has covered topics ranging from real estate markets to counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

Undergraduates also had the chance to speak with alumni working in government, technology, the arts, business, education, environmental affairs, finance, healthcare, law, nonprofit, and research. Alumni and university staff partnered for presentations on r茅sum茅 writing, creating a digital identity, and more. Dean of the Faculty Douglas Hicks and Associate Dean of the Faculty Nancy Pruitt also discussed the process of selecting a major and seeking out research opportunities.

鈥淭he strength of the alumni network is something that I鈥檝e been told about since before I even came to 新澳彩开奖结果, but I don鈥檛 think that I truly understood it until this event,鈥 said Jessica Li 鈥15. 鈥淚t was clear that, whether returning alumni had graduated in 2012 or 1950, they wanted to connect with us.鈥

Half of all alumni invitees came from the classes of 2000鈥2012. By combining their contacts, patience, persistence, and strong liberal arts education, they earned titles like founder, director, project manager, and senior adviser. Alumni who graduated more than 13 years ago brought their experiences as CEOs, chief marketing officers, vice presidents, and presidents.

鈥淭here鈥檚 an indebtedness that many alumni have to the school,鈥 said Tom Dempsey 鈥72, retired president of Utz Quality Foods. 鈥淥ne way we can pay that back is to help make these current students as prepared as possible to be successful; they were hungry for information.鈥

SophoMORE Connections sprang from 新澳彩开奖结果鈥檚 original Real World event, designed for seniors entering their final semester at the university. With the 2012鈥2013 academic year, Real World was transformed into a full-year series focused on networking and the post-新澳彩开奖结果 transition. This shift allowed career services to create SophoMORE Connections and further expand the impact of alumni engagement.

鈥淭he weekend exceeded our expectations,鈥 said Michael Sciola, associate vice president for advancement and director of career services. 鈥淐onnecting sophomores with alumni around topics of career direction and success 鈥 it was perfect timing.鈥