Knox College Hosts Second Forever Fire Weekend

Knox College prides itself on preparing students for life after Knox. While the College, its staff, and faculty strive to produce students who, as Knox’s mission states, “live with purpose and to contribute to the well-being of others,” it always helps to have a little advice from your friends and those who have been in your shoes.

To support this mission, Knox College hosted its second Forever Fire Weekend, a two-day experience designed to help students network and gain knowledge and advice from Knox alumni. Organized by the Bastian Family Center for Career Success and the Office of Alumni Engagement, students engaged with visiting alumni. They focused on professional development while networking and building relationships.Throughout the weekend, activities such as a Lunch and Learn session and panel discussions helped foster these connections.

“I think we had a pretty good turnout,” said Associate Director of Annual Giving Angie Olivas ’18, who was also part of the discussion panel. “This year, we structured the panel discussion to have people from various industries all on the same panel talking about their career experiences. This allowed more students to attend."

The Lunch and Learn gave students the opportunity to network, ask questions, and learn from Knox alumni who spoke about careers.

“One of the things we touched on in the panel was you’ll be incredibly lucky if you land your dream job right out of college, there’s going to be some twists and turns, and adaptability is key for that,” Olivas said. “Make sure any job you’re taking aligns with your core values.”

After the panel discussion, students were able to network with the panelists and ask more in-depth questions about life after college.

“I spoke to a student who is a Gale Scholar, like I was, and wants to stay local after graduation," Olivas said. “He was looking for connections that I may have, or to help point him in the right direction, because it is confusing trying to figure out what to do after college.”

On Saturday, students had additional opportunities to connect with young alumni. First, Alex Tanaka '18 and Brian Tanaka '15 spoke about professional development.

The pair talked about practical tools for reflective listening, learning to truly hear and connect with others, and assertiveness techniques. They also discussed self-advocacy strategies and real-world insights. These would help communicate effectively, handle workplace challenges, and empower students professionally. 

“I think the students responded really well,” Olivas said. “They got the crowd involved, it was super interactive, and that was cool to sit in on.”

The event began on Friday, May 15, when Joel Willison '20 shared insights on entering the Chicago theatre industry with Knox theatre students. Willison provided advice specific to theatre careers but other careers as well, including practical guidance on finances, living arrangements, resume creation, patience, and the value of networking. 

He also stressed the importance of taking advantage of the opportunities currently available at Knox, not just for soon-to-be-graduates, but also for students with more years in school.

“Connect with everybody, people in your Knox class, everybody who has ever been to Knox. The Career Center can help you with that, and LinkedIn also has tools you can use,” he said. “If you have initiative, you will do well. People see ‘Knox’ on your resume and especially in Chicago theatre, it stands out, because it is unique and it is a small school where you do get experience in every aspect of theatre.”

Making the weekend more unique is that all panelists, presenters, and discussion leaders were all recent Knox graduates, giving students a modern, more shared perspective on the working world.

“Being recent alumni, I think they’re more relatable than some of our alumni who are more established in their careers,” Olivas said. “I think the panelists being more open allowed the students to be more open. I’ve even heard it in feedback, even students suggesting other, more career-based panels along with something like this in the future.”