Students meet with alums, employers in Zoom meetings
November 2020 – The multi-event 2020 Drew University Launch Communities Expo continued with a virtual in-depth look at Launch’s career and identity/affinity communities.
With separate Zoom meetings for 16 of the 18 communities—inclusive and integrated groups tied together by common interests and pursuits—the Launch Communities Fair allowed primarily first-year students to meet with fellow students as well as alums, faculty, staff, and employers.
Throughout each of the live Zoom meetings, students discussed shared experiences and got career advice from alums, learned about potential immersive academic and extracurricular opportunities from faculty and staff, networked with employers, and discovered career pathways from all involved.
When hopping into the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Sustainability Zoom meeting, for example, students could be found hearing from Dr. Neal Connors, an associate with Drew’s RISE program, about how doing lab research with retired industry professionals as an undergrad with RISE helps build a budding scientist’s résumé.
Encouraging participation was a common theme in each of the meetings, as session moderators took students through the Launch website to familiarize them with the multitude of ways they can explore communities, find internship opportunities, and connect with mentors and fellow students.
Over the next month, the Launch Communities Expo will continue with weekly Community Panels, each designed to highlight specific Launch communities.