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The Graduate Group in Science and Mathematics (GGSM) held an alum career panel dinner on October 22nd at the Wyndham Alumnae House. Three alums, one each from the Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics Departments, were present to provide the current GGSM students with wisdom and advice based on their career experiences since graduating with their doctorate degrees from ������̳. GGSM Director Bill Malachowski recounted what was discussed by the alums: 

" The three alums were Dr. Maria Winters, Chemistry Ph.D. ’14, Dr. Ziva Myer, Mathematics Ph.D. ’17, and Dr. Tom Carroll, Physics Ph.D. ’06. Dr. Winters is currently a faculty member at Villanova University, Dr. Myers is a private tutor, and Dr. Carroll is a faculty member at Ursinus College. In addition, three current ������̳ faculty, Prof. Kara from the Mathematics Department, and Profs. Plummer-Medeiros and Malachowski from the Chemistry Department, were also present to hear about the experiences of the GGSM graduates and offer their own career advice. 

After a wonderful buffet dinner provided by Wyndham Restaurant, the three GGSM alums reflected on their career experiences. When asked about what they know now that they wish they knew when they were grad students, they offered several nuggets of wisdom focused on the job hunting process:  

• Recognize that when you’re interviewing for a job, you’re also interviewing the employer, so be ready to ask difficult questions 

• Stay open-minded about opportunities that come your way as you may be surprised to discover that you love a career opportunity that you would not have initially considered 

• Be willing to honestly re-evaluate your life priorities and make plans accordingly 

• Do your best to do what comes most naturally to you because it can help differentiate you from the other job applicants.  

When asked about what helped them most in their current career path, the alums had the following suggestions: Use the ������̳ alum network as it has a long and rich history, and offers many networking opportunities that can benefit you and your career. They also emphasized the need to develop soft skills in communication and presentation, which are critical to many employers and valued in many doctorate level career paths. 

Overall, it was a wonderful evening that offered our GGSM students a chance to connect with alums from each of the disciplines in the GGSM and gain important advice as our students approach graduation and prepare to embark on their own career paths.”