News
2019 RSE Alumni-Junior Member Networking Forum
We did it! On Saturday September 28th, 2019 we held the first RSE Alumni-Junior Member Networking Forum. The Networking Forum began immediately after the RSE Fall Trustee and Society meetings at the RSE Clubhouse.
The Forum was well attended by almost 30 members alumni including: Paul Lee ’19, James Lee ’19, Don Thoma ’83, Rich Gonyea ‘99/’03, Matt Buck ’05, Wes Lord ’72, Adam Orsi ’03, Jerry Szilagyi ’84, Dave Hall ’80, Mark Anderson ’79, Steve Nichols ’98, Nick Sosin ’11, Eric Stover ’04, Tom Keating ’75 and Junior Members: Marc Fellbaum ’19, Jake Hodgson ’20, Inwon Kang ’21, Matt Binshtock ’21, JT Swetman ’20, Marcelo Lazo ’20, Joseph Stillo ’21, Allen Bekov ’21, Will Zieman ’20, Harry Smith ’20, Brendan Donnelly ’20, Will Furst ‘19/’20, Jonathan Stadler ’20.
The Event was developed and managed by co-chairmen Jonny Koppleman ‘20 (jonathan.koppelm@gmail.com) and James Lee ’19 (jameslee1643@gmail.com) with the support of Don Thoma ‘83.
The event was structured to give the opportunity for alumni to share their interests and career paths with the Junior Members (JMs) and other alumni. The Forum began with a reception to allow the members to register and mingle. Members were seated by at tables according to their graduation major. An ice breaker exercise, a 15-point trivia contest on RSE that pitted tables against each other for the honor of leading the line at the buffet, started the organized portion of the evening.
A brief presentation followed where Don Thoma ’83 and other alumni shared some of their experiences in networking and career development.
The group then engaged in an exercise where Junior Members could prepare and perfect the 60-second networking pitch. The JMs practiced their pitch on the alumni. It was great to watch the presentation get better with every interaction.
Networking continued through a wonderful buffet dinner provided by Chef Adam. The JMs swore that they don’t eat like that every day. Dinner was followed by a networking speed dating event where JMs had the opportunity to practice networking skills, gain career and job search advice, expand their own personal networks, and hopefully obtained leads for their job and internship searches.
Both Alumni and JMs all agreed that the event had a powerful impact on the relationships between members and highlighted the importance of maintaining these bonds between all members of RSE. RSE has over 800 living members that share a common set of experiences and values. This network is an incredible resource for JMs and alumni alike.
All agreed that this will be the first of many Networking Forums and we plan to hold similar events in conjunction with future Society Meetings.
For those of you who missed the event and have opportunities or experiences you would like to share with the JMs, you can find a copy of the Junior Member Resume Book on the RSE.org website or by clicking here. (Need link)
TSIMS
Don Thoma ‘83
Steve Nichols ’98 addresses attendees