April 25, 2024
Alumni and students connect at the 2024 In The Loop Mixer
Nearly 200 members of the Forester community came together at the Bank of America building in Chicago on Thursday, April 11 to join in networking and conversation at the In The Loop Mixer.
The event celebrates internship and career successes of our students and young alumni, highlights the College's residential In The Loop Program and Gorter Family Career Advancement Center, and thanks alumni and employer partners for their career mentorship and support throughout the year.
View photos from the night here.
The In the Loop Mixer also provides students with an opportunity to practice their networking skills and connect to Forester alumni and employer partners in Chicago.
“These events are great for helping students get comfortable with being present and engaging in face-to-face conversation,” Internship Specialist Albert Greene said. “So much of networking right now is over email and LinkedIn. Events like the Mixer help them with the in-person interactions they will do throughout their career.”
Networking events like these also provide opportunities—planned and unexpected—for students seeking internships and jobs.
“I spoke to a professional at the event who actually interviewed a student that evening on the spot,” Greene said. “I reached out to this employer a few days before the Mixer and let them know I was working with a student seeking a marketing internship who might be a good fit for their organization. The two connected via email, and when I went to greet the employer at the Mixer, she told me ‘I just met with the student and we had an impromptu interview in the back corner!’ It was a really cool connection and the student was incredibly happy it was able to happen.”
Finding a Mentor —and a job —at the In the Loop Mixer
Economics major Aarti Singh ’24 was glad to see alumnus Tom Burling ’90 return to this year's In the Loop Mixer. She is transitioning from intern to full-time Senior Markets Analyst at Burling’s organization, CME Group, this summer. An opportune connection at the same event last year led to an internship offer and initiated a strong mentoring relationship.
Singh spotted Burling’s organization on the list of employers for the 2023 In the Loop Mixer, and knew the event was a great opportunity to bring visibility to her recent internship application at CME Group.
“My career advisor Marie Josephitis introduced me, we started chatting, and he asked whether I had Python knowledge,” she said. “I was actually completing an online Python training provided by the CAC right then! That impressed him a lot and he gave me his card.”
Soon after, Burling invited her to apply for a summer internship in global trading and operations on his team.
“A week later, I interviewed and got in,” Singh said. “I remember I started not knowing much about the field, but Tom took some time to get coffee with me and explain expectations for the role and what his team did. He would always check in with me to see how I was doing.”
Singh said that Burling’s advice helped her stand out as an intern, and she has appreciated his mentorship over the last year.
“Because of our conversations, I felt more comfortable diving straight into the work and asking questions,” she said. “People on his team appreciated me showing up five days a week with curiosity and questions, which they missed when everyone was remote. After the internship ended, Tom and I were still getting coffee and lunches. I felt like I could always ask him questions about life or professional work.”
Singh’s networking connections she formed over the summer led her to intern with another team at CME Group during the academic year, and she is now looking forward to returning to Burling’s division after graduation as a full-time analyst.
She was excited to introduce other students to the alumnus at the 2024 In the Loop Mixer.
“He is so approachable, inviting and welcoming,” Singh said. “He was encouraging all students regardless of academic background, and gave advice tailored to their interests. I think all of us [in the Forester community] when we graduate always have a ‘giving back’ mindset. Events like these bring you back together and give you the opportunity to do that.”