Last semester, College of Communication and Information Development Coordinator Betsy Crawford and her undergraduate student assistants Brooke Murray and Beatriz Carrizo hosted the Alumni Guest Speaker Series. This series was hosted as a part of the class Transfer Student Success which, taught by Crawford, is intended to help students who have transferred from other universities or community colleges better understand Florida State University and how to be successful there. On why she chose to invite alumni into the class, Crawford stated, “I wanted these students to not only gain information about engagement on campus but also learn about career development in their majors and understand the networking opportunities they have with Florida State University. The whole idea was to engage them and get them excited about being a Seminole, specifically a CCI Seminole.” The series aims to introduce students to their network of alumni as an FSU student as well teach about the different avenues that alumni have traveled that are also available to them. “We want them to know that everyone who’s come before them wants to reach back, support them, and make them feel like they’re part of the family,” Crawford explained.
While the students were excited to be a part of the series, the alumni were just as enthusiastic. Crawford explained that she is often contacted by alumni asking to be able to meet with students to discuss their experiences throughout their time at FSU and their career, and this guest speaker series was the perfect opportunity to do so. CCI alumna Nicole Dial who spoke about Early Career Development and Networking spoke to CCI about what led her to participate in the series saying, “I’m motivated to return to FSU to share my experiences with current students because I enjoy giving back in small and intentional ways to CCI. My time in the media production major was critical in building relationships that have helped me grow in my personal and professional life.”
While the series was hosted as a part of a specific class, each speaker event was open to all CCI students. “It’s a way of making sure there’s more voices in the class for the alumni so that there’s different kinds of questions and engagement because the students are in different spaces,” Crawford explained, “Also, if we have the opportunity to have an alumni in the room or over zoom, I want as many students as possible to engage with them. It’s another bit of that experiential learning that we want to focus on in the College.”
The Alumni Guest Speaker Series will continue this spring semester. Follow our social media for updates!