Spring Break is over.
We have all grudgingly made the trek back to Claremont and got out of bed on the first day of classes. Now back from break, I feel rejuvenated and ready to take on the rest of the semester: classes, life, and career.
I do not think I would feel this way if I did not do one thing during the break, which was the Networking Trek to Chicago with CP&R.
I was very conflicted as to whether I wanted to attend the trek, so I asked everyone who had a connection to these treks. Once I decided to go, I scrambled to find warm clothes for the Windy City. Flying into Chicago, I began to mentally prepare for waking up before 8am and full days of networking.
The first day, we went to three non-profit companies. We started off the day with the Goodman Theater, which was amazing to see how a theater thinks about their programs with all the Chicago communities in mind. Next, we visited National Main Street Center that helps to renovates main streets all over America and seeing one office of a company that has taken on a mission I have never even heard of. Finally, we visited the Chicago Public Library that has thoroughly ruined libraries for me. The library had all the normal aspects of a traditional library but had added on with so many different programs to aid adults, children, or teens by adding in maker labs, recording booths, and evolving with the community.
The second day, the wonderful trek coordinators (Vicki and Rachael), showed us the difference by looking at for-profit companies. First, we visited a smaller tech company called Vodori. I never imagined a for-profit company with such a small community that functioned like a non-profit with a dog-friendly office. Next, we visited bswift that had a more corporate feel, yet did not lack any of the fun. Finally, we visited Duff & Phelps, a corporate finance advisory firm, that has been making strides to make finance not seem so dominated by men. As a special treat, John Wells took us on a tour of the Chicago Hilton on Michigan Ave to show us the behind-the-scenes of the hotel industry.
On the final day, we prepared to say goodbye to the other group of Scripps students who had come on the trek by going to the Chicago Children’s Museum. After touring the museum for thirty minutes, we were able to talk to a panel that showed just how much work goes into this amazing museum.
This was a quick recap of the events since it was a whirlwind of networking that I would not have traded. From each company, I learned something completely different about myself. I could imagine myself in small and large companies, clarified what it meant for a company to be a non-profit, and how to advocate for myself. The panels that we met with at each company were filled with individuals who really cared and wanted to answer all our questions. It is crazy to see so many in love with their careers. Everyone we met wanted to answer our questions and tell us about careers that we had never heard of before. Everything was so exciting and had me ready to investigate more!
Besides the companies, the trek had time for us to explore Chicago. We took time to go out for sushi on our last night, where the rice was dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day. The city was filled with nice people and cold weather. This trek put Chicago on the list of places I am going to investigate for careers after college since the innovative attitude that seemed to flood the streets really spoke to me.
If anyone is ever wondering about the CP&R treks, don’t think and just apply. I grew close to students that I would never have had the opportunity to interact with on campus and have acquired a wider network of people that I can reach out to about my career. I was given the chance to expand my skills in networking and still gave me the chance to spend the last half of break not focusing on anything in Death Valley.
