First-ever Quinlan Career Week features alumni and companies
The Quinlan School of Business welcomed more than 70 Loyola alumni back to campus to connect with undergraduate students during the first-ever Quinlan Career Week, held October 14-17, 2024.
The week strengthened student connections with the Quinlan network of alumni and the business community through a variety of events created in partnership with Loyola Career Services and Loyola Alumni Relations.
Advancing careers
Quinlan Career Week featured a robust event calendar including:
- Employer lunch-and-learn events at Aon, Greenwood Project, and the National Futures Association
- Alumni industry panels focused on marketing, finance, and analytics
- Marketing and Communications Career Fair featuring 16 corporations and attended by 230 students and alumni
- Etiquette and networking dinner
But the highlight of the week was October 16, when alumni served as guest speakers in more than 20 undergraduate classrooms spanning every discipline at Quinlan. The alumni spoke to students on how they started their careers, described the ins-and-outs of their industries, and shared stories of navigating challenging moments.
“We tried to give everyone something to engage with, regardless of their major,” said Tim Classen, senior associate dean at the Quinlan School of Business. “We’ve had students reach back out to alums to meet for lunch and talk about ideas, and connecting on themes speakers shared.”
Accounting and Analytics student Autumn Meyers said that the class speakers provided valuable insights.
"I thought it was really beneficial to hear about their progression of certifications and how that contributed to their careers," said Meyers. "I also thought some of the interview tips they provided were helpful."
Connecting with alumni
Career Week served as an opportunity for alumni to reconnect, or in some cases deepen their connection with Quinlan and its students. Some alumni were visiting the Schreiber Center for the first time since it opened in 2015, while others met with favorite faculty from their college days.
With alumni returning from all different career stages, students were able to envision their own career paths.
“We hope that this will be aspirational for Quinlan students to see what our alums have done,” said Classen. “Quinlan alums have done a lot of great things, and this was a model to show exactly how they got there and how Quinlan helped along the way.”
