Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks hold annual Lehigh Rowing Career Networking Event
11/2/2017 5:55:00 PM | Men's Rowing, Women's Rowing
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The tie between the current and future members of the Lehigh rowing program continues to strengthen, as evident earlier this fall when the Mountain Hawks held a career networking event on Sept. 16 in the Parella Room of Rauch Business Center. The event was held for the current team and featured alumnae and alumni returning to campus to talk about employment options, personal career experiences and life after Lehigh.
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"Athletes come to Lehigh for their development and future careers," said Lehigh head coach Brian Conley. "We tell athletes that rowing is supposed to enhance their college experience, not be their college experience, so an event such as this reinforces that to the athletes. More importantly, it allows them to ask the good, bad and silly questions they want to know about how to get a job or a career."
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The day proved beneficial on many fronts. It was a very worthwhile experience for the current rowers, and served as a way for the alums to connect to the current program
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"The alums were really able to relate to our experiences as student-athletes," said junior Liz Gagliardi. "They gave examples of struggles they had as student-athletes, along with the tools and resources they used to overcome these struggles. They also told us how they applied the skills they learned from rowing into the job search and workplace."
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From the class of 2010, Jack Muskett helped coordinate the event. For Muskett, coming back to Lehigh to give back was a no-brainer.
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"I had a great experience with Lehigh rowing and enjoy helping current rowers have an experience that was as positive as mine or better," he said. "The goals for the event were to help connect current rowers with individuals who can provide perspectives on various career paths and potentially help them transition to the professional world, whether it's helping with interviewing or potentially helping get their foot in the door at companies where alumni work."
(11/2/2017) Lehigh Rowing Career Networking Event
The takeaways for the present-day student-athletes were numerous.
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"The most useful part of the networking event to me was the alumni's knowledge of the process involved in the job search," said Chris Martensson. "Namely, they gave invaluable advice on how to conduct yourself when interacting with a company, in interviews, at career fairs and even with email communication."
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Throughout the day, a number of themes came to the forefront that are evident throughout all lines of work.
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"The one theme everyone seemed to focus on was the fact that the more they utilized the networks they made for themselves, the more success they had," said Gagliardi. "They gave examples, which show how helpful expanding these networks actually can be. The fact that the alums were so willing to make connections and help us at any point in the process was really exciting."
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Because of the event, the student-athletes are better positioned for life after graduation, but they also learned a number of lessons that can be used in their remaining time at Lehigh.
Â
"I will be using their advice in preparation for interviews and in the job search, but moreover, they talked about how they could have better utilized all of the great opportunities Lehigh offers," said Martensson.
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"I hope our student-athletes got a chance to learn that sometimes education and a career is not a linear circumstance and that being a rower or coxswain, particularly here at Lehigh, is going to take you further than most anywhere else," said Conley. "Our alumni are amazing and stepping up more and more each year to support and help develop our team and athletes. I must have said thank you ten times throughout the day to each of them. Each of the alumni that came back really gave honest answers and great perspective on careers, life and Lehigh."
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"I would like to thank the alumni and staff for setting up the event, and look forward to more opportunities to connect in the future," said Martensson.Â
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Like Lehigh Rowing on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Thank you to the alumni who participated in the event
Tom Flynn '90
David Highhill '06 '08
Cameron Copeland '09
Joe Loguidice '09 '10
Andrew Bartynski '10
Eric Harper '10
Jack Muskett '10
Pheobe Getzow '11
Zach Gant '14
Elaine Ivy '15
Shannon Dennington '16
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"Athletes come to Lehigh for their development and future careers," said Lehigh head coach Brian Conley. "We tell athletes that rowing is supposed to enhance their college experience, not be their college experience, so an event such as this reinforces that to the athletes. More importantly, it allows them to ask the good, bad and silly questions they want to know about how to get a job or a career."
Â
The day proved beneficial on many fronts. It was a very worthwhile experience for the current rowers, and served as a way for the alums to connect to the current program
Â
"The alums were really able to relate to our experiences as student-athletes," said junior Liz Gagliardi. "They gave examples of struggles they had as student-athletes, along with the tools and resources they used to overcome these struggles. They also told us how they applied the skills they learned from rowing into the job search and workplace."
Â
From the class of 2010, Jack Muskett helped coordinate the event. For Muskett, coming back to Lehigh to give back was a no-brainer.
Â
"I had a great experience with Lehigh rowing and enjoy helping current rowers have an experience that was as positive as mine or better," he said. "The goals for the event were to help connect current rowers with individuals who can provide perspectives on various career paths and potentially help them transition to the professional world, whether it's helping with interviewing or potentially helping get their foot in the door at companies where alumni work."
The takeaways for the present-day student-athletes were numerous.
Â
"The most useful part of the networking event to me was the alumni's knowledge of the process involved in the job search," said Chris Martensson. "Namely, they gave invaluable advice on how to conduct yourself when interacting with a company, in interviews, at career fairs and even with email communication."
Â
Throughout the day, a number of themes came to the forefront that are evident throughout all lines of work.
Â
"The one theme everyone seemed to focus on was the fact that the more they utilized the networks they made for themselves, the more success they had," said Gagliardi. "They gave examples, which show how helpful expanding these networks actually can be. The fact that the alums were so willing to make connections and help us at any point in the process was really exciting."
Â
Because of the event, the student-athletes are better positioned for life after graduation, but they also learned a number of lessons that can be used in their remaining time at Lehigh.
Â
"I will be using their advice in preparation for interviews and in the job search, but moreover, they talked about how they could have better utilized all of the great opportunities Lehigh offers," said Martensson.
Â
"I hope our student-athletes got a chance to learn that sometimes education and a career is not a linear circumstance and that being a rower or coxswain, particularly here at Lehigh, is going to take you further than most anywhere else," said Conley. "Our alumni are amazing and stepping up more and more each year to support and help develop our team and athletes. I must have said thank you ten times throughout the day to each of them. Each of the alumni that came back really gave honest answers and great perspective on careers, life and Lehigh."
Â
"I would like to thank the alumni and staff for setting up the event, and look forward to more opportunities to connect in the future," said Martensson.Â
Â
Like Lehigh Rowing on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Â
Thank you to the alumni who participated in the event
Tom Flynn '90
David Highhill '06 '08
Cameron Copeland '09
Joe Loguidice '09 '10
Andrew Bartynski '10
Eric Harper '10
Jack Muskett '10
Pheobe Getzow '11
Zach Gant '14
Elaine Ivy '15
Shannon Dennington '16
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