On Saturday, January 20th, 2024 the Career Center held the second annual Sophomore Summit. With over 35 alumni and 90 sophomores in attendance, the Summit was one of the largest Career Center events for students and alumni.
At the Sophomore Summit, students had the chance to attend alumni career panels, network with alumni in a social hour setting, get a professional headshot, attend a keynote speech by Adonius Lewis ‘11, and enjoy a formal dinner in the Great Hall. This day-long event was a great chance for students to meet with alumni across many different career fields and discover all that they can do with their liberal arts education after graduation.
Among the alumni in attendance were leaders in tech, the arts, non-profit work, government, law, health, and more. Their experience and expertise helped students better understand the complexities of various career paths as well as how to adapt to the job market. Many sophomores reflected on their experience at the Summit as a moment of reassurance, both that they do not have to “have their future all planned out” right now and that they will leave Carleton with the skills to adapt as they navigate their own career path.
For the first portion of the day, students had the chance to attend two alumni career panels. The panels were entitled “Non-Profit and Education,” “Arts, Media, and Creative”, “Business, Finance, and Consulting,” “Government, Law, and Advocacy,” “Health, Life, and Physical Science,” and “Data and Technology”. From Elise Spencer-Kaplan ‘01, the Managing Director of Theater Latte Da, to Gregory Boyle, a Partner at Jenner and Block ‘93, to Elizabeth Egbert ‘09, a Forensic Psychologist for the State of Minnesota, and Hyacinth Diehl ‘91, a Tool-Using Mammal at Crowdstrike, there were a vast array of alumni perspectives and experiences students could learn from throughout the Summit. We know that many sophomores are in the process of deciding what major they want to declare, so having alumni share their experiences provided students with a reassuring reminder that their major does not have to determine their future but their experiences will help shape their path forward.
The second part of the day included a social and networking hour for students to talk with alumni. For many students, the Summit was their first chance to connect with alumni and practice networking. While many of the alumni in attendance held prestigious positions, the sophomores overwhelmingly shared that they were pleasantly surprised by how welcoming and helpful the alumni were. We were also impressed with the thoughtful questions and conversations students had with alumni throughout the social hour.
Finally, we ended the day with a keynote speech from Adonius Lewis ‘11 and dinner in the Great Hall. As the founder of Excel Learning LLC and a leader in advancing education equity across the country, Adonius shared with students how important it is to follow one’s passion, listen to and learn from mentors, and never underestimate your infinite potential.
As we look forward to next year, we are looking forward to growing the event. We hope to have even more alumni and student participation as the Sophomore Summit becomes an annual event for students to learn more from Carleton alumni about all of the potential career paths that they can look forward to after graduation.