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On Wednesday, March 18th, seven Wake Forest alumni joined together on campus to be a part of a new initiative put on by the Office of Alumni Engagement. The intent of The Junior Juncture: Navigating What’s Next was to help over 40 juniors navigate the important “juncture” of junior  year, where decisions about internships and career path can feel super daunting! This dinner provides a supportive environment of caring alumni in seven career paths that were eager to invest in these students both personally and professionally. We could not have pulled off this impactful program without these alumni volunteers:

— Non-Profit Sector: Katie Wolf (’13), Assistant Director at Hanes Art Gallery
— Technology: Jon Wright (’08), Project Manager at Beacon Technologies
— Financial Services: Walt Reece (’12), LDP Associate at BB&T Banking
— Medicine/Healthcare: Dr. Locke Glenn (’05), Assistant Medical Director at Novant Health
— Law/Government: Chad Brown (’01, JD ’06), Partner at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice
— Marketing/Advertising: Meg Miles (’13), Account Executive at CCL Branding
— Entrepreneurship: Becca Atchison (’03), Owner at Rebecca Rose Events

“As a recent graduate, I vividly remember the pressure I felt as a Junior to find the perfect summer internship and the stress that the process placed on my already academically loaded shoulders. During my search, I found that some of the best advice (regarding both internships and surviving the search) came from my older peers; knowing they had successfully navigated the waters gave me permission to take a deep breath and remember that in one way or another, things would work out. It was my hope that by participating in the event, I would be able to provide the same reassurance to the students at my table! As an alum who has remained in the Winston-Salem area, I cherish opportunities such as this to give back to University that gave me so much during my time there.” – Meg Miles (’13)

Some Feedback from Students about the impact of connecting with alumni:

  • It definitely made me feel a lot more confident in my job search and career process. I also think that it made me a lot more appreciative of Wake Forest and its alumni because alumni really want to help you succeed. I think this is unique and would not necessarily happen at a big state school.  – Class of 2016 participant
  • I appreciated the idea of just focusing on the very next step. Junior year can be overwhelming with options and future planning, but just focusing on the next step helps keep perspective and moving forward. – Class of 2016 participant
  • I expected to network with alumni and be given advice, but I didn’t expect the alums to be so personable! They gave extremely relevant advice since they were undergrads not too long ago, and they answered all of our questions honestly.  – Class of 2016 participant

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image4The Junior Juncture will continue to be a program that connects current students with alumni around a particular career track.

If you would be interested in serving as an on campus alumni contributor in the 2015-2016 school year, or bringing something like this to your local alumni club, please reach out to Stephen Edwards.

 

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