One of the main reasons I chose to attend St. John’s University was because of their amazing networking opportunities. Prior to coming here, I already knew a few people who were attending the school, plus another alumni who were very proud of being a St. John’s alum decades after graduating, and figured that the opportunities would grow for me as a student and graduate of the school. St. John’s University has been around for over 150 years and currently has over 200,000 living alumni. Making relations with alumni and networking regardless is one of the most important skills you can have to get far into your career. Especially for me being a Government & Politics student, also studying Marketing, networking is the key to success and the key to getting anywhere. So when our Career Service Center and my Department Chair reached out with the opportunity to go on a trip to Washington, DC to attend different events and meet with the alumni who live in the area, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Being from the DC-Maryland area, this was a perfect chance to not only visit home, but get a sneak peek into what life after graduation may look like for me, although that’s a few years away. So, come with me as I tell you all about the 3 day trip I took with the school!
Day 1: I got up at 4am this day, after not falling asleep until 1am, so I was very exhausted. Around 6am, I headed over to board the bus we were going to take all the way to Washington. I thought showing up 15-30 minutes early was early enough to get a window seat, wrong. Every window seat was filled so I had to find an aisle seat. Luckily I knew a couple of people on the trip so I sat next to them, and coincidentally, that was next to one of my classmates that I had seen the day before so we had enough to talk about before I fell asleep. Next thing I knew, we were in Delaware at a rest stop, stocking up on Panda Express and drinks for the rest of the drive. We did not get to DC until around 2pm. When we got there, we went straight to Pentagon City, Virginia to the DEA Museum, which we only were able to attend because the Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant for Business Operations to the DEA is a St. John’s alum gave us a private tour of the museum. During this trip, the Government was (and is) still shut down, so all our museum and Capitol visits we had planned were all cancelled. At least we got to visit the DEA museum and learn more about what they do as an agency, but that was unfortunately our only official visit during the 3 day trip. Afterwards, we returned back to the hotel (which might I add was very nice) for the night where they let us explore on our own. My assigned roommate already had her plans, which was perfect because so did I. Being from the DC area, there wasn’t much I hadn’t already seen. So, as soon as I unloaded in my hotel room, I headed right back out to the nearby Metro station and headed home. After an hour train ride (which I’m used to anyways living in New York), I got picked up by my sister and taken home. When I came home, I caught up with my family, cuddled with my dog, took a quick nap on my bed and was fed so much homecooked food (which I brought a lot back with me). After a few hours, I returned to the hotel, got ready for the night and went to sleep to prepare for a long day ahead.
Day 2: Although a lot of our visits and events were cancelled, our alumni panel and receptions weren’t. This day was ALL about networking and hearing from the local alumni and building connections with them. From cabinet members, to nuclear scientists, to sportswear CEO’s – we heard it all and got to speak with every alumni who came to meet with us. It was very informative and enlightening to hear about all the different career fields they’ve found success in in the DMV area and the different options out there. One thing I love about networking and working with alumni is they are very fond and warming with helping you out and helping assist your journey. A lot of them gave great detailed advice on your situations and goals, and helped explain the steps they took to get to where they are. After the panels ended in the afternoon, we returned to the hotel for a few hours, where they gave us time to explore again. So instead of exploring, my dad came to pick me up and take me out for lunch. This was nice because going into this trip, I had very little saved in my account, so getting most of my meals covered for by my parents was a really nice touch to the trip – especially because I don’t see them often going to school out of state, let alone two days in a row. After lunch, I went back to the hotel to take a nap before getting ready for the Alumni Reception. This event was at a beautiful rooftop space with a skyline view of the city, intended for the actual alumni who live in the area to reconnect and bond. As we were current students, it did feel a bit out of place or unprofessional, but overall was fun. I got to speak more with some of the panelists, and met some more alumni I hadn’t spoken to prior. Overall, I learned so much from the people I met, and it really energized the passion in me and for my goals, and am so grateful I got to meet everyone that I did. It was truly the peak of this trip and my biggest takeaway. After that, we went back to the hotel where my roommate and I had a long talk and got to know each other more, which felt very refreshing and nice since we didn’t know each other prior. I hope that we get to know each other more and continue to build our bond into a friendship.
Day 3: Since we had no more stops or visits scheduled, they just dropped us off near the Lincoln Memorial, took a group picture and let us explore for an hour and a half. Not that that’s a long enough time to explore DC, but a few friends and I went to a couple nearby memorials, took pictures and rode scooters back to the bus. Once we finally took off, we headed back to the rest stop in Delaware where we stocked up on food. After we left Delaware, we headed back to campus all the way there. Once we got there, I immediately went to an event for our Her Campus chapter. Once I settled in for the night, I will never forget this trip. Something was in the air this trip and made me feel so grateful, refreshed and enlightened. Something about this trip made me actually like Washington, DC. I’ve always grown up near it and visited it plenty of times, however, exploring parts on my own at different points on this trip made me feel independent in a whole new city. I’ve always accepted that I will move back home after graduation, but being on this trip made me envision a happy and successful career and life living in DC and somewhat excited for what life there would be like. Lastly, since moving to New York, I have felt my political spark dim and find myself gravitating towards other interests but once again, a visit home near the political capital of the country, sparked my love for politics again and getting more involved. I can’t wait to explore those connections I made and the opportunities I can follow.