Alumni Night

The Zicklin Forensic Accounting Association is proud to conclude the 2017 Spring semester by hosting the 3rd Semi-Annual casual networking event, Alumni Night, last Friday evening, May 5th.
 
Doors opened at 6:30 p.m. to welcome Baruch students, alumni, and friends of alumni. The event room was filled with festive Mexican music, streams of twinkling lights, and crisp, colorful flowers. The hot, freshly made Mexican food that was present in honor of Cinco de Mayo proved especially popular with attendees, as many had second and third servings of quesadilla, miniature tacos, and chips and guacamole.
 
As Mardi Gras beads were distributed and gift bags were brought out, ZFAA president Yulia Rozenfeld went on stage and gave the opening speech. She spoke of how Alumni Night started with her predecessor’s–Michelle Qin’s, vision of meaningful and stress-free networking, in parallel to her own desire to continue that tradition and lasting influence. Following Yulia’s speech, the vast array of professionals was called on stage to introduce themselves. They mentioned their names, backgrounds, and careers to allow attending students get an idea of who was relevant to speak about specific professional aspirations.
 
What followed was a simple yet fun ice breaking game that brought students and professionals together and began conversations. Individuals were given single letters to work with others to piece together a 10-letter word (Spoiler: the word was Graduation!). Conversation prompts were also divided amongst attendees, and they included fun open-ended sentences like “I love…”; “I want to wake up to…”; and “I would want to go to school/work wearing a ___ costume”.
 
The ice breakers set the stage for the rest of the night, which was centered around casual conversations and networking. It was not long before the room was buzzing with numerous introductions and discussions. The professionals were extremely helpful in providing insight to students. They offered both general and career relevant advice, along with excerpts of their own experiences in school and in the workplace. Even as the event continued past its official end time, there was an energy and liveliness that enveloped the room.
 
ZFAA is happy to have hosted yet another successful Alumni Night that helped students and introduced professionals to a number of Baruch students who were eager to advance their social networks. We would like to take one last opportunity to thank the professionals who took the time to join our club and fellow students last Friday evening. It means a lot to us that there were individuals who would forgo celebrating Cinco de Mayo and avoiding the pouring weather to come to Baruch and make lasting connections with everyone involved. We look forward to seeing everyone again next semester!
 
ZFAA would also like to thank and acknowledge the support of the following student organizations in producing this fulfilling event: Graduate Student Assembly (GSA), Graduate Beta Alpha Psi (GBAP), Zicklin Graduate Tax Society (ZGTS), and Zicklin Women in Business (ZWB).

​By Serena Law, Anthony Policastro, edited by Serena Law
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