Students and new alumni in the School of Administrative Studies (SAS), Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, participated in a virtual Speed Mentoring and Networking event on March 3, where they engaged with established professionals and experts in their fields.
More than 40 alumni mentors met online with 60 students and recent graduates over three speed-mentoring rounds, followed by a topical networking session covering the focus areas most important to SAS students. The alumni mentors had a breadth of industry knowledge and experience to share, coming from companies including Microsoft, TD, Staples Canada, AstraZeneca, GE Healthcare and PwC.
The event included a feature interview with LA&PS alumnus Robert Cultraro (BCom ’93), senior vice-president, chief investment and pension officer at Hydro One Inc. Cultraro shared insights about his career path and imparted industry knowledge to help students navigate their career journeys.
“We are grateful to have had such a strong response from our alumni mentors for this event,” said LA&PS Dean J.J. McMurtry. “Our students have shown interest in making connections. As a result, they were able to benefit from the support and guidance of these enthusiastic alumni mentors.”
Kojo Darkwa, a finance and business economics student, spoke to the optimism this event inspired.
“Having alumni from different fields speak to us about their experiences while in university is a great feeling because one gets to understand that although we face some challenges and rejections, there is still light at the end of the tunnel, and that we should not lose hope,” said Darkwa.
Alumni were also glad to have the opportunity to reflect on their own career journey and pass on some of their learnings to York students.
“It was a great experience. I really enjoyed the interaction with the students, and I hope they were able to get as much out of it as I did,” said Phyllis Estefan, national partner business manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
The event was hosted by the Dean’s Office in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, in partnership with the School of Administrative Studies.