Vela Lu '18 says Knox College's 2017 Career Impact Summit felt different from other career-related events she has attended because "alumni are focused on speaking from their experience, and many of them I can relate to and find helpful."

The fifth annual Career Impact Summit, which took place November 20-21, brought about 20 alumni back to campus to share advice about career preparation and career success with Knox seniors and juniors.

The event consisted of alumni-led presentations and breakout sessions, networking opportunities for alumni and students, and resume critiques. Sessions covered numerous topics related to the job search and career advancement, such as personal branding and social media, cultural competence, resume writing, communicating in a professional setting, and teamwork and conflict resolution.

The pre-conference "speed networking" session was one of the highlights for Lu. "We talked to each person for about three minutes," she said. "It was nice to know the alumni before everything began, find out what they do, how they feel about it."

The Career Impact Summit was organized by the Knox College Bastian Family Career Center. It was sponsored by the John D. Carlin Career Development Support Fund.

In welcoming remarks, President Teresa Amott noted that Knox supports students as they decide on their career aspirations.

"It's a very complicated job market," she said. "I like to say to students: Many of you will hold jobs, within 10 years of graduating from Knox, that did not exist at the time that you graduated from Knox." She also encouraged students to "dig into the opportunities that you have in front of you."

Jacob Plummer '00, vice president of global business development at Allscripts, kicked off the event with his opening address, "Building a Career You're Proud Of." Plummer described his career path and offered students advice designed to help them get their careers off to a good start.

Nick Nurre '18 said Plummer's presentation resonated with him.

"He changed my perspective on pursuing passion by saying it's not about choosing a passion and running at it, whatever the cost," Nurre said. "It's about picking a career that works for you and becoming passionate about it by working at it."

Hank Horwitz '18 said he appreciated a breakout session called "What Are the Skills Employers Are Really Looking For?" and led by Katie Weaver '05, senior instructional designer at Navigant Consulting.

"It gave me a good grasp of what sort of technical skills I need to develop for the career I'm interested in pursuing," said Horwitz, who is considering a career with a multinational corporation.

America Salgado '18, who is considering a career in social work, says the summit helped her learn "not to be scared" of making adjustments as she develops a career. She says she heard from several successful alumni whose careers have gone in unexpected directions.

"You can always change your mind and go back and start from scratch," Salgado said. "That's what a lot of the people who are here have done."