Anna-Catherine Kueng ~ Assistant Editor
On Saturday, March 30, from 10:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m., the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership Development will be hosting their annual Anderson Leadership Conference, “Adulting 101: Everything You Need To Know Before You Graduate!” for juniors and seniors.
The conference has been held in the past, but B.J. Keefer, director of Student Engagement and Leadership Development, said, “The conference was called ‘everything you need to know before you graduate,’ but now this new term ‘adulting’ has come in, so this is the first year using that name.”
According to an email sent by Keefer, session topics include: “The Job Offer: It’s More than a Paycheck; How to Network and Not Make a Fool of Yourself; Personal Finances/Saving/Budgeting – Where to start; I Owe WHAT? Your Student Loan, Your Debt, Your Payments; AND MORE!!!!”
The keynote speaker will be Geralyn Gulino ‘13, who is working in the counseling field in Lynchburg, VA, through Centra Home and Health. She also served as the student body president during her senior year at Lynchburg and was on the planning team as a student representative for the Drysdale Student Center.
Keefer said, “It’s all done by alumni. All the sessions are led by alumni. Keynote speakers should not be old people like me. They should be students who have graduated within the last 10 years because they’re more relatable. I know Geralyn and I look at where she is now and she serves on a number of incredible boards here in town and has really made Lynchburg her home.”
As stated in the email, “All sessions will be lead and facilitated by Lynchburg alumni and friends of the university. We will conclude our day with a panel presentation of Human Resource Directors, who will be able to answer questions regarding what employers are really looking for and what you need to do to secure your first job!”
Overall, Keefer said, “For me, [the conference] is a safe space for students to ask some of the questions that they might be afraid to ask because they feel like they should know them, such as ‘what should I look for in retirement packaging?’”
