Students in the Department of Technology participated in the faculty “shadowing” program as a way of improving their professional networking and communication skills. The program is based on the idea that industry professionals in most professional meetings welcome an opportunity to interact with university students.
“The professional meetings I attend benefit me a lot in terms of learning what is going on in the industry,” Quality Management and Analytics (QMA) Professor Borinara Park said. “I believe these types of opportunities should be available to our students as well.”
Throughout this calendar year, such professional meeting opportunities were announced to the program students, and the volunteering students had an opportunity to tag along with faculty to meet with the industry professionals:
- Syed Zaidi and Fahmida Sultana, QMA graduate students, attended the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Chicago Chapter’s Process Mining Workshop.
- Yewande Marquis and Hardik Joshi, QMA graduate students, had an opportunity to interact with professionals in the Annual Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Conference in Chicago.
- Kyle Rinkenberger, an engineering technology student, participated in the Insurance Accounting and Systems Association (IASA)’s monthly meeting in Bloomington.
- Eric Kozikowski, an engineering technology student, and Victor Osuyak, a graphic communications student, attended the American Society for Quality (ASQ) Chicago Chapter’s monthly meeting.
“I am a big advocate for networking and learning from others’ experiences,” Kozikowski said. “Talking with the industry presenters allowed me to learn more about the industry and tips on how to pursue my future career. I value these types of conversations and experiences.”
