Alumni share work experiences

Alumni who graduated from the University over the past 20 years returned last night to share their work experiences with College students, who will enter a highly competitive job market. "As an Art History major I found it difficult to find employment upon graduating [from] Penn," said College Alumni Society vice-president Grubb Ellis. "I feel this type ]of[ forum and program can benefit Penn students who are unsure about their future." Ellis said that the goals of the Career Fair which the College Alumni Society sponsored were two-fold. He wanted to specifically help College students, who often do not have as "directly applicable" majors as students from Wharton and Engineering. And Ellis said he hoped that the students' dialogue with the Alumni would continue past the evening's program. The alumni represented over 15 fields, from retail to information science. "A mentor is a wonderful thing to have when you're young," said Philadelphia Inquirer sports writer Michael Bamberger. Bamberger told students interested in jounalism that "if you want to meet someone you respect, write them a letter and ask them out to lunch." Lisa DePaulo, senior editor at Philadelphia Magazine, talked to students about the importance of journalism in government. "This year's campaign was more about journalism than politics," she said. DePaulo advised a student interested in journalism to "keep a diary" and "get your thoughts on paper." People attending the program said it was helpful to gain insight into the workplace from the professionals. "I think it's good to give students a perspective from people in their potential profession," said architect Charles Capaldi, who graduated from the College in 1975. "It's helpful to give information about immediate job prospects and long term career goals." College junior Nathalie Peutz praised the program, but said she was disappointed that most of the graduates came from very standard professions, such as real estate and finance. "There was a lack of representatives in the spirit of the College," Peutz said.

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