What can your CRS degree do for you?

Yesterday, 15 CRS students were able to make the most out of a wonderful opportunity presented to us.

Thanks to Dennis Gilbert, who is actually an alum of the Setnor School of Music, we were able to fund a day trip to NYC in order to connect and network with other CRS alumni.

We got to the Lubin House, the Syracuse Alumni Center in NYC, around 11:30 and were able to go grab lunch and walk through Central Park before our first panel with alums. At 2, we got to meet with two recent graduates who are both working the the PR/Marketing field. They spoke about the companies they work for, their client base, and how they got to where they are in their careers since graduation. Basically, though, it was a question and answer session for the benefit of the current students. With the opportunity to ask any question to the alums in such an intimate setting, many students were able to get a better idea of the industry, and how to become a part of it. Both of the alums were also incredibly interested in knowing how Syracuse was now and what we, the students, did and were passionate about in our own lives.

During the evening, we all gathered upstairs in the library for a reception, to which about 30 or so alumni showed up. With a decadent spread of finger foods before us, we chatted and got to know the alums of our program and learn what they do for a living in a more one-on-one setting.

To my surprise, I found an alum who interned for the Chiefs (then the Sky Chiefs) his senior year. He now works at a small start up company doing video and production reels for the "drop-in" experts on cable news shows. I also talked to an alum who got her job because she took Spanish in college, which placed her in the banking industry, doing business with Panama.

It was a fantastic opportunity to speak with people who are thriving with their CRS degrees and excited to share with and to help their fellow Syracuse students. Although it had been a LONG day, we climbed back on the (amazingly comfortable) Caz Limo bus to head back to Syracuse.

Because I am from Dallas, and have only been to NYC a few times in my 21 years, this was a new and exciting experience for me. For some students, it was a chance to go back to their "home town" and for others, it was their first taste of Manhattan. All in all, it was an absolutely amazing experience... one the department plans to do again next year!