On Saturday, October 12, Douglass hosted the Christiana Foglio DC’84 Douglass Career Conference at the Douglass Student Center. Over 220 Douglass students participated in panel sessions and round-table talks designed to prepare them for the professional world.
The BOLD Center for Leadership, Career, and Personal Development clarifies students’ academic and career goals, connects them with role models and mentors, and prepares them for success in their personal and professional lives. The annual career conference serves to facilitate this purpose and encourage students to approach their professional futures with confidence.
"At the Career Conference, all of the activities are designed to contribute to our goal of helping Douglass students grow professionally,” said Dr. Jacquelyn Litt, Dean of Douglass. “This opportunity not only allows students the chance to gain valuable insight into their industry of interest, but also to practice their networking skills. The connections that students make now can help propel their careers to the next level.”
The keynote speaker for the event was Catalina Bajenaru, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources at AT&T. Bajenaru has over 26 years of experience in various sectors of human resources. After her speech, breakout sessions were separated into groups so students could take in knowledge tailored to their professional aspirations. Topics covered in the sessions ranged from STEM professions and applying to graduate school to business and nonprofit skillsets and personal branding techniques. The sessions were run by alumnae and professionals from companies such as Merck & Co., ESPN, and Bloomberg. One round table networking session took place in which twenty-five Douglass alumnae offered their insights to current students. Douglass alumnae make excellent role models and mentors to students as they prepare to enter the professional world. If you would like more information on how to become an alumna mentor, please contact douglass_engagement@echo.rutgers.edu.
