WSU Alumni event, Dinner with Strangers

Alumni Offer Professional Advice to Graduating Seniors in ‘Backpack to Briefcase’ Events

February 19, 2019
By: Guest Contributor

Alumni are returning to campus to share their career knowledge with Worcester State students about to enter the professional world. Called “Backpack to Briefcase,” the seminars will cover essential skills such as dining etiquette, interviewing, and social media use, culminating in an student-alumni networking dinner on Thursday, March 7, at 6 p.m. in the Blue Lounge.

All events are free and open to all WSU students, although registration is required. Backpack to Briefcase is sponsored by the Alumni Office and the student group Enactus.

Two weeks of seminar start on Monday, Feb. 25, with a dining etiquette dinner presented by Career Services and Chartwells at 6 p.m. in the Blue Lounge.

Lauren O’Neill ’13, assistant director of career services at the College of the Holy Cross, will give a presentation on “Social Media Dos & Don’t” on Tuesday, Feb. 26, in Sheehan Hall, Room 109, at 6 p.m.

Derek Canton ’15, entrepreneur and founder of the restaurant bill paying app Paerpay, will conduct an elevator pitch workshop on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 1 p.m., in the North Auditorium of the Student Center.

Marco Estrella ’09, operations manager of Unum, will teach “Interviewing 101” on Monday, March 4, at 1 p.m. in Sheehan Hall, Room 109.

Career Services will present a resume workshop on Tuesday, March 5, at 1 p.m. in Sheehan Hall, Room 109.

Photographer Matt Wright ’10 will take free portraits for use in LinkedIn profiles on Wednesday, March 6, 1-3 p.m., in the Sheehan Hall lobby, and on Thursday, March 7, 4-5:30 p.m., in the Student Center Exhibit Area.

In the concluding signature event, more than 40 alumni will be attending the “Dinner with Strangers” networking dinner on Thursday, March 7, at 6 p.m., to meet students and offer general career advice. This is the third year of the popular dinner, which has grown in size each year.

For more information, contact Executive Director of Alumni Tara Hancock, thancock@worcester.edu.

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