HALT Emphasizes Connection
by Danielle Sclafani '08As senior year approaches many students may begin to wonder and worry about what role Hamilton will play in their lives after they graduate. Many students want to remain connected to Hamilton and to the people they have met in their four years of college. At monthly business luncheons members of HALT (Hamilton Alumni Leadership Training) meet to address this very issue, brainstorming ideas for how members of their class can stay connected to one another after graduation. On Tuesday, November 13 HALT members attended the second business luncheon of the academic year, and Bette Mammone, an expert grant writer and philanthropist, spoke to the group about networking and the importance of maintaining personal connections.
Mammone gave the seniors in attendance wise advice about staying linked to Hamilton after graduation. "Don't lose touch with your friends; they are your first line of communication with the college," urged Mammone. When people are confronted with major life decisions, such as deciding what career to pursue or whether to go to graduate school, they are tempted to avoid personal connection, but Mammone warned students to not fall into this trap. "Whether you call, e-mail, or text message, there is nothing that can replace contact with classmates. College afforded you a network of offerings and experiences . . .strength is built one person at a time," she said.
While technology changes a lot, according to Mammone, the one thing that never changes about college experiences is the relationships. Mammone described the common pattern of college students after graduation. "[They remain] in touch with each other in their 20s, but as students get married, their connections thin. In their 40s, their kids are in school and they have other priorities." Mammone urged students to find the phone numbers, e-mail addresses, or home addresses of their peers and to use them.
Although we have all the tools we need to stay personally connected to our classmates, but we cannot rely solely on technology to keep a connection strong. "Technology is a tool, not a replacement," explained Mammone. Mammone advised students to use e-mail, text messaging, and AIM to get conversations with Hamilton peers flowing, but to not stop there. It is critical to follow through with initiated conversations with personal contact of some sort. Eating lunch together or finding another creative solution to stay connected is invaluable.
To effectively maintain a relationship there is nothing that can replace a personal interaction with someone. Similarly, when networking with alums "don't compromise your first impression," Mammone warned. "E-mail negates courtesies. Distinguish yourself differently and always write a personal note and follow-up with an e-mail." When networking, a personal act of some sort can make all the difference.
In addition to giving advice about staying connected to classmates, Mammone also gave suggestions to seniors about how to best build networks and find jobs. "Create a job," she said. "Connect with professors and create your own opportunities. Use the career center. While you are still [at Hamilton], find connections and develop something about yourself." She gave an example of great social entrepreneurship opportunities for college students. "There is a trend in the U.S. now in which we reward innovative ideas," she said. Mammone suggested students check out www.echoinggreen.org, to find projects in reverse philanthropy and social entrepreneurship or www.idealist.org, Action Without Borders, which is a website that promotes not-for-profit jobs as starting places for their futures.
Bette Mammone gave HALT students advice about networking and staying personally connected. She advised students to talk to their professors now so they can be rewarded for their innovative ideas. Be a social entrepreneur: Visit www.idealist.org and www.echoinggreen.org for more information.
HALT is an initiative to train members of the senior class as alumni leaders. This year's HALT members currently serve on one of four subcommittees, Print Publications, Strategic Planning, Publicity and Recruitment, and Website Production; all members of this year's HALT team are working to make the program more well-known among students and to increase campus awareness of its goal and purpose.
The leaders of HALT this year are Amy Brown and Emily Tang. Class of 2008 members are: Katie Berlent, Marley Berns, Toni Bullock, Rachel Cannon, Marisa Clemente, Grace Dobbyn, Rani Doyon, Gabi Ghimis, Ned Giliss, Tumelano Gopolang, Za Jafri, Bill Kearney, Whitney Kimmel, Melissa Kong, Jenna Lally, Jack Li, Abhishek Maity, Bridget Moore, Chris Moore, Anne Murphy, Ryan M. Murphy, Hilary Nitka, Maggi Noonan, Maureen O'Brien, Katie Painter, Emily Pallin, Daniela Pfister, Katie Plummer, Quinn Plunkett, Apolon Polonski, Pragyan Pradhan, Felix Ramirez, Danielle Sclafani, Nathan Vandergrift, Michael Viveiros, Kateri Whitebean, and Magda Wierzbicka.
The next HALT luncheon will take place on Monday, December 3. Students will be meeting with Sue Donegan of Admissions and Liz Bowman of Regional Events. If you are interested in the HALT initiative and want to learn more about the program, contact Amy Brown (aebrown), Emily Tang (etang), or Dave Steadman, '03 (dsteadma) or talk to any of the current HALT members.