University of Richmond Alumni to Return to Discuss the Real World
January 5, 2005
They’re hip. They’re professional. They’re Spiders. And they want to talk to you.
With that message, University of Richmond student leaders are encouraging their fellow undergraduates to attend The Real World, a program Jan. 28-29 featuring 40 alumni who will discuss the career and life lessons they have learned since graduation.
The 2005 program is the fourth the university has sponsored. “It has been a pleasure to see students and alumni interacting year after year,” said Ken Kraper, vice president of student affairs for the Richmond College Student Government Association. “Students don’t always know what their majors and minors mean for them when they graduate, but the alumni have a very experiential way of demonstrating that the possibilities for them are endless.”
Returning alumni represent the classes of 1991-98. Some are vice presidents of corporations; others have found success as lobbyists, lawyers or legislative workers. They have entertained on the big and small screens, taught elementary and high school students, and worked in sports-related fields.
“The alumni reassure us as students that we will be able to survive after graduation, and they help us to understand better that the University of Richmond degree will take us to amazing places,” said Kristen Emerson, alumni affairs committee chair for the Westhampton College Government Association.
The schedule includes a life lessons panel, career breakout sessions and networking. The panel will allow students to interact with alumni in a question-and-answer format about issues beyond career, such as balancing career and family, traveling, or starting out on a small salary, said Kraper.
Alumni then will lead breakout sessions, including government, law, health and medicine, financial services, arts, media, and others to talk about their career paths and experiences. Finally, students and alumni will have time both days to discuss career advice one-on-one. In the past, such networking time has resulted in internships and permanent jobs for students.
For more information about The Real World, visit http://cdc.richmond.edu/realworld.