Women’s Leadership Program Hosts Student-Alumni Networking Night

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Students in the George Washington University's Elizabeth J. SomersWomen's Leadership Program (WLP) connected with alumnae across industries during a recent Student-Alumni Networking Night, gaining firsthand insight into career paths that are often anything but linear.

Organized by WLP in partnership with the Office of Alumni Relations, the event brought together students and alumnae on April 16 in the Science and Engineering Hall.

WLP Director and Professor of Biological Sciences Carly Jordan opened the evening by highlighting the program's history and noting its long legacy of advancing women's leadership.

"We carry on this legacy of connections between generations, and part of what we wanted to do tonight is make sure that students understand the different options open to them," Jordan said.

Alumnae-many of whom participated in WLP or attended Mount Vernon College, the all-women's school GW acquired in 1999-represented a wide range of fields, including marketing, law, public health, technology and foreign service. They led small-group roundtable discussions as students rotated through two 30-minute networking sessions.

Kalpana Vissa, B.S. '18, M.P.H. '20, a special assistant to the inspector general at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and chair of the WLP Alumni Advisory Council, said returning to campus is meaningful for alumni.

"For each of us, it is so rewarding to come back to campus and speak with you all," Vissa said. "We were in your shoes not so long ago."

Throughout the evening, conversations ranged widely, from navigating post-college uncertainty to adjusting to new cities and industries.

Nicole Rogers, B.B.A. '09, co-founder ofai12z, spoke about leaving San Francisco's tech scene after the pandemic shifted many jobs to remote work.

"A lot of people left because so many people in the Bay Area are in the tech space," Rogers said. "You can work from anywhere."

Rogers also described differences between startups and large companies, noting that smaller organizations require employees to build systems from the ground up, while larger companies have established structures.

"I'm the type of person who believes you should go with the flow," she said. "Have your plan, what you want to achieve but be flexible and the doors open. Take that open door. You can always turn around and take a different path."

That theme of flexibility resonated with many students.

Halea Kerr-Layton, B.A. '19, M.A. '21, shared advice for looking for first-year internships. After her first year at GW, she returned home to Colorado, worked retail, volunteered, and worked an unpaid internship. She is currently media relations manager at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

"Some of my fun jobs, I never would have thought were part of my story. Now looking back, I'm grateful for the opportunities," she said. "You have to be competitive. So apply broadly. Look at the job description and if 20% to 30% of it seems interesting, apply. You don't have to do it for the rest of your life."

First-year WLP student Samantha Burchard, who is majoring in political science and international affairs, said hearing those experiences helped put her own concerns into perspective. She hopes to continue conversations with alumni about how they navigated uncertainty early in their careers.

Other students shared that sentiment.

"These women are very successful in their careers, but their paths were not linear," said first-year journalism student Naomi Wu. "It's not so scary to talk to someone who has had that experience. It's going to be OK."