The school has made it a habit of inviting exciting guest speakers back to the campus to hear about their experiences and understand their paths from Siena College onwards. However, most individuals do not realize there is another purpose for these events beyond sheer entertainment and life lessons. Networking is one of the most vital teachings that any institution can instill in their students. Each professional invited to speak at the college is an already established, practiced person who has found success in their particular field. Therefore, there is no better time to engage in connection building than at one of these guest-speaking events. Finding a way to get some face-time with these speakers can pay off in an enormous fashion as well as potentially lead to otherwise unlikely internship or job opportunities. Students are often under the impression that their future is waiting for them as soon as they graduate, but it is very possible to start a future tomorrow by simply connecting with the right people. All of this can start right here on campus and, in fact, has started on numerous occasions for students over the past decades years of networking at the college.
Don’t believe it? Last semester Tom Mazzarelli, the Co-Executive Producer of the Today Show graced the Siena community with his presence. Invited here for the Siena College School of Liberal Arts Lecture Series, Tom spoke about his career after schooling and how his education aided his career path on a greater scale. After an inspiring, impressive and very entertaining presentation, it became very clear how this individual found his success. One student, Emily Carideo, recognized just that and took it into her own hands to seek out the connection. Fortunately, Emily had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Mazzarelli afterwards at a luncheon wherein she was able to keep an open dialogue and learn a little more about Tom.
Emily is grateful for these types of events and explains that, “as a Broadcast and Society minor, this event was something I truly valued, as I was able to hear from someone who not only went to Siena like myself, but was able to land what I consider my dream job.” Emily continued to stay in touch with Tom and the Today show to create a working and strong relationship. Finally, her networking and connection paid off as she was offered an internship at the studio. Emily proudly admits “if it were not for this Key Speaker event, it is possible I would never have been able to make a personal connection with someone at the Today show.” Emily now has the opportunity to thrust her career in broadcast beyond anything she could have imagined at this age.
Students often to tend to think that a story like this is anecdotal or rare but this is an interaction that actually has occurred for decades here on campus. All it takes is the students’ participation and willingness to take control of their future. Opportunities like this do not come around everyday but Siena College is doing what they can to make them more frequent and accessible. This semester, the School of Liberal Arts Lecture Series is proud to feature Michael Zarcone, the Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Metlife. This event is set to take place on Monday, March 14th in the Key Auditorium (RB 202) from 12:30-1:30. Try to stop by and participate in some networking because, who knows, it could be the start of something life-changing.