Students Peer Into Their Future Through Green-colored Lenses at 16th Annual Green Networking Night

By Kendra Ding

On February 13th, over a hundred Emory students gathered at the Student Center for the 16th annual Green Networking Night. This longstanding Emory tradition connects students aspiring to a career in environmentally-related fields with Emory alumni and Atlanta area professionals with real world experiences to share. Unlike a job fair, students were able to more informally network with 40 professionals, asking questions and listening to stories that help paint a vivid picture of the variety and breadth of environmentally-related careers.

The evening opened with remarks from members of the organizing committee and helped students orient themselves to the guests with whom they could connect. Continuing a networking night tradition, professionals were able to creatively wear a colored bandana to denote their specialty under the broad umbrella of topics covered by this event, so students could find the experts they were most interested in meeting.

A highlight of the program came when Amy Hou (17C), the keynote speaker, and co-chair of the Emory Alumni Environmental Network (EAEN), shared her professional experience after graduating from Oxford College in 2015 and Emory College in 2017. Her inspiring remarks introduced Emory students to the diversity of career opportunities in the sustainability field and invited them to engage in EAEN following their graduation.

Green Networking Night is another example of collaboration among a variety of Emory divisions including the Pathways Center, Advancement and Alumni Engagement, the Department of Environmental Sciences, the Business & Society Institute, and the Office of Sustainability Initiatives (OSI). As a gold-level certified Sustainable Event, Green Networking Night “walked the walk” – minimizing waste by digitizing materials including the directory of professionals and by serving an all-vegetarian buffet to support healthy participants and a healthy planet.

“Green Networking Night was a great experience for me to learn about sustainable and social justice-related careers that matched my interests and skillsets. I enjoyed talking to all the alumni, learning about their career paths, and bonding over our shared interests,” says Justin Bright (23B), OSI Sustainability and Social Justice Fellow. “With great food and even better people, this year’s Green Networking Night was one for the books.”

As the night concluded, students and professionals who filled out a survey received a potted succulent plant as a thank you. Emory University extends gratitude to all participants and looks forward to hosting the 17th annual Green Networking Night, promising another enlightening and sustainable gathering.