Students of the School of Design and Human Environment got an opportunity to start building their future Thursday at the school’s annual Career Symposium.
Held at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center, the 27th annual event connected students with Oregon State alumni and representatives from industry leaders such as adidas, Columbia Sportswear, Nike and many more.
“As internship coordinator, this is when it all comes together, to see the students in action,” said Sandy Burnett, SDHE senior instructor and internship coordinator. “Almost every year you see students making those connections for internships.”
Titled “Envision Your Tomorrow,” this year’s symposium was also special as it was the first year the event was student-organized.
“This year we all agreed to give that project management experience to the students,” Burnett said.
College of Business Dean Ilene Kleinsorge set the tone in her opening remarks, reminding students the work they put in that morning could have a major impact on their opportunities after graduation.
“Today is important for you and your future,” Kleinsorge said as she helped welcome students. “The career preparation you do as a student the netowrking and oportunites you create for yourself are a valuable part of the experiential learning that will help you establish your carrer. And I differentiate a job and a career.”
The event provided plenty of chances for students to connect with companies and alumni in a number of different ways. Students could find their favorite alumni or business in the main ballroom for networking or to talk job and internship opportunities, while side sessions allowed smaller groups to dive into topics such as branding and creating a professional identity.
In a session on starting your own business, Oregon State alumni Leanna Petrone, owner of Leanna NYC, and Jillian Rabe, owner of Jillian Rabe LLC, talked about their paths to entrepreneurship.
Petrone worked in the New York fashion industry for 12 years after graduating from OSU with a BS in Apparel Design and a minor in Merchandising Management before realizing her dream was to own her own business, like both her parents did. She said the process is more work than she imagined, but fulfilling in a way her previous jobs weren’t.
“Every day, week, month, year, I’m on,” Petrone said. “But every day I do what I love.”
Rabe — whose company produces fashion shows, video and photo shoots and other events and marketing services — graduated from OSU with a degree in speech communication an psychology. She quickly realized she had other interests, and eventually went into business for herself.
“No one is going to work as hard for you as you are,” Rabe said.
