On Thursday, October 10 our campus teemed with Hollins ladies, past and present. 99 alumnae returned to HU for the second annual Career Connections Conference to meet and mentor current students. Jointly organized by the Student Affairs Office and the Alumnae Relations Office, C3 is executed every year in efforts to connect current students with successful alumnae and better prepare students for the professional world, as part of the university’s Strategic Plan.
“I wish this conference had existed when I was a student at Hollins!” said Anna Moncure ’07, Director of Alumnae Engagement. “Our students are surrounded by really smart women who have all used their Hollins foundation as a way to get where they are today. I think it’s inspiring.”
C3 kicked off the afternoon with a Keynote Speech by Carla Harris; vice chair for global wealth management, managing director, and senior client advisor at Morgan Stanley. Harris has been featured in Fortune, Ebony, and Essence magazines as one of the most powerful executives in America and has released three gospel records. The Conference included sessions focused on building a résumé, using technology as a professional networking resource, successfully interviewing for a position, and translating a liberal arts education into various career fields such as media or non-profit management. Panelists included Emmy-winning producer and media strategist, Claire Sanders Swift ’85, and Jenny VanLeeuwen Harrington ‘97, CEO of Gilman Hill Asset Management.
“My favorite session was the Speed Connections,” said sophomore Sarah Pillow. “It was great to be able to have one-on-one conversations with the alumnae and to hear other people’s experiences, even if it’s not directly related to what I want to do.”
The Speed Connections session was also a favorite of Carrie Boswell ’14. “However, I wish that seniors in particular had more alone time with the alumnae, away from the other classes.” Despite this, Boswell was able to make meaningful connections with alumnae, even helping to sell merchandise for Monogram Maven, a small Charleston-based boutique which had a table in Moody the next day. She now is considering an internship with the owner.
When asked about this year’s conference, Anna Moncure was pleased with the improvements made from last year. “Meredith Levy and the C3 committee did a great job evaluating last year’s C3 and moving those tweaks to this year’s C3. I thought the flow and logistics around the dinner session was an improvement.” Moncure hopes to invite Carla Harris back for next year’s conference and add an exhibition for alumnae businesses.
Overall, C3 proved to students, faculty, administrators, and alumnae that women who are going places, indeed, have started at Hollins,