The seminar has been a transformative and empowering experience in my life. I didn’t expect the impact it has made on my sense of agency as an aspiring researcher and STEM professional. From this seminar I have a more concrete understanding of my desired role in the public policy field and steps to take to achieve that position.
A quick look at the agenda from the seminar shows informational sessions about networking, salary negotiation and resume building. However, the sessions at PLEN are more impactful than most career-readiness workshops because of the focus on relationship-building, rather than purely instructional sessions. I felt that the mentors had a vested interest in my personal success. The speakers genuinely wanted to hear and understand the perspectives of the participants in order to develop more personalized strategies and advice. I’ve stayed in contact with a few of the speakers who have offered more ongoing help in building relationships at companies I hope to work for in the near future.
Just being in the company of the speakers who have taken time to advise has improved my professional self-esteem and made my plans for the future all that much closer. Thank you, once again to everyone who participated, all of the gracious speakers and sponsors.
Sarah Trumbull received a scholarship sponsored by Magdalena Rahn to attend the PLEN360 seminar during the summer of 2014. She attending as a sophomore at Rowan University.