Donna Downes-Matreale and Lara Geragi
As many of you know, 2012 marks the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Dragon, and as one of few universities in the U.S. to have a dragon as its mascot, it is fitting for the Drexel University Alumni Association to mark the occasion with something pretty special, right? Well, that is exactly what we have planned.
To honor this unique calendar year, the Alumni Association will host multiple celebrations every month during 2012. Some events are specifically for students and alumni, bringing them together to share their experiences as current and past Dragons. You may be Drexel students today, but you are Drexel alumni of the future, and once you “feel the fire,” you are a Dragon forever! Each month during the Year of the Dragon has a theme, and the theme for March is celebrating you, the students who are the Dragons of today.
In March, the Alumni Association is celebrating the Dragons of today by providing alumni-student networking opportunities and highlighting some of the many outstanding students who are making a difference on campus and in the community.
On March 7 the Alumni Association will partner with the Office of Student Life and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life to host Campus to Career Alumni Panel Discussion and Networking Night. At the event, a panel of alumni with various careers will share their experiences, answer questions,d and offer advice about transitioning from the role of a student to that of a working professional. In addition, you will be able to bring your resume for a critique by alumni as well as staff from the Steinbright Career Development Center. All students are invited and encouraged to take advantage of this great networking opportunity. To register for Campus to Career, visit www.drexel.edu/alumni and click the “events” tab.
In addition, throughout the month of March the Alumni Association is collecting questions from Drexel students and getting answers from Drexel alumni. Want to know which food truck is the alumni favorite? Wondering which companies are the best for co-op or how to ace a job interview? Drexel grads were once in your shoes, and they have lots of real-world experience under their belts.
Take advantage of their wealth of information and “Ask the Alumni” by videotaping your question and sending it to the Office of Alumni Relations at [email protected]. Please remember to tell us your name and year of graduation in the video.
The student videos will be posted on the Alumni Association YouTube channel as well as the Alumni Association Facebook page, and Drexel alumni will post their responses to your questions. We’ll link to these sites from our Web site, so visit www.drexel.edu/alumni/yearofthedragon and click on the “March” tab at the top of the page to see the answers throughout the month.
For more information on the Year of the Dragon and to find out how you can connect with fellow students and Drexel alumni, check out the Alumni Association’s Year of the Dragon website at www.drexel.edu/alumni/yearofthedragon.
Donna Downes-Matreale and Lara Geragi are an Elected Director of the Drexel University Board of Governors Alumni Association and the Director of Alumni Communications respectively. They can be reached at [email protected].