By: Nina Campli, Assistant Student Life and Arts Editor
Mead Hall was abuzz with amazing conversations between Civic Scholars and Drew alumni. On November 1, alumni, some of whom were in the Civics program, sat down with current Civic Scholars to discuss their lives after Drew in the professional world. Some of the alumni work in nonprofits and government positions, while others are in graduate school or work in for-profit industries. No matter where they work, each of them is connected and committed to their community. Some of them still volunteer in their communities as well. In her opening statement Amy Koritz, Director of the Center for Civic Engagement said, “I encourage students to look for unexpected connections, advice from surprising or unanticipated places and new ways of thinking about the relationship between the work they do and the lives they lead.”
The event was very formal, with two alumni each at nine tables in the the lobby and Founders Room of Mead Hall. The students moved in a rotation to four different tables to discuss the different experiences each alumnus has had. After the main part students were invited to move about and continue conversations they had started or talk to an alum they did not get to in the rotation.
The alumni came from a number of professions. The most recent alum to graduate was Jena Angeliadis who graduated from Drew this past Spring. Angeliadis is a Legal Analyst at JPMorgan Chase and is pursuing her MBA in finance and management from Seton Hall University. She is also a part of the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking, during her time at Drew she partnered with the organization for her Civics project freshman and senior year. Kimberlee Williams who graduated in 1995, is the co-founder and chief strategist of FEMWORKS a social entrepreneurial company which is a bridge to multicultural communities for its clients. Also, she is a TED speaker and inaugural TED Resident. In January of this year, she was appointed to the position of Director of Communications and Marketing at Rutgers University-Newark.
Some students came in with an idea of which alum they wanted to talk to and others just wanted the experience. “At first I had reservations about the event because when I was provided with the list of who would attend I saw no one in an occupation I would enter into,” stated Kyle Majid (’19). “However, the value of the event became apparent after it started. As I began talking with the alumni I realized the connections and experience they provide overshadowed everything