Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Learning How to Make Connections
The most significant rewards we get from serving with City Year are the intangible benefits. Don’t get me wrong, my roommates (who aren’t in CY) are incredibly jealous of my free Metro passes. And the $4,725 education award I will earn this year is a great perk. But it is definitely the intangible experiences that will stick with me, long after my service year.
A great example of an intangible benefit of being a City Year corps member is the event we had last Tuesday evening. The City Year Alumni Association organized an event for the corps members called “18-Minute Networking.” At the event, there were over thirty City Year alumni from all different professional fields (international work, Peace Corps, law, education, corporate consulting, etc.). The purpose of the event was to give current corps members the opportunity to begin professionally networking with alumni. It was also very helpful to hear stories from alumni of how they transitioned from City Year into the “real world.” I met a lot of interesting alumni; including one woman who is currently working for an organization she was introduced to when she was a corps member.
As the City Year alumni network grows to over 10,000 members, it is nice to know that there is a large network of people out there that I can call on for professional or personal advice. And in a town like Washington – it’s all about who you know, right?!
A great example of an intangible benefit of being a City Year corps member is the event we had last Tuesday evening. The City Year Alumni Association organized an event for the corps members called “18-Minute Networking.” At the event, there were over thirty City Year alumni from all different professional fields (international work, Peace Corps, law, education, corporate consulting, etc.). The purpose of the event was to give current corps members the opportunity to begin professionally networking with alumni. It was also very helpful to hear stories from alumni of how they transitioned from City Year into the “real world.” I met a lot of interesting alumni; including one woman who is currently working for an organization she was introduced to when she was a corps member.
As the City Year alumni network grows to over 10,000 members, it is nice to know that there is a large network of people out there that I can call on for professional or personal advice. And in a town like Washington – it’s all about who you know, right?!
