Porter Family Professional Development Center
Jan Pogoria (l), director of internships, talks with Priyanka Sundaram ’14 (r) about internship possibilities.
The LSB continues to expand its professional development services and programming for its students. Through the Porter Family Professional Development Center, the school provides services and resources such as resume and cover letter development, professional transition courses, mock interview preparation and targeted career fairs with select employers. The Porter Center is staffed by Jan Pagoria, director of internships, and Jane Mehringer, associate director of career services, both of whom joined Elon this year. The center, which is endowed by a gift from Elon trustee David Porter P’11 and his family, works in conjunction with Elon’s Student Professional Development Center, home to the Career Services and Corporate and Employer Relations offices.
School holds inaugural LSB Connect Conference The Porter Center and the LSB held the inaugural LSB Connect Conference in fall 2011. The all-day, off-campus event was designed to equip second-year students with skills necessary to compete in a demanding workforce. “The LSB Connect Conference is one of the outcomes of conversations we’ve had over the past two or three years about the best ways to get students on track for professional development fairly early in their academic career,” says Scott Buechler, former interim dean. The conference included plenary sessions, an etiquette luncheon, breakout sessions exploring career opportunities in various industries and a networking reception with business professionals. “The sessions were extremely informative,” said Austin Rhoads ’14, an international business and marketing major. “I learned how to improve my speaking skills, answer questions in an interview and network.” [8]
Alex Dempsey ‘12 (l) and Jane Mehringer (r), associate director of career services, discuss professional development opportunities.
“Through competitions, student organizations and interactions with faculty, Elon has offered me the best experience I could have imagined.These experiences have strengthened my interpersonal skills, which will be extremely important in my future when working with clients and cohorts.” Alex Dempsey ’12 graduated from Elon with degrees in accounting and finance. During his college career, he was a member of several honor societies including Omicron Delta Kappa (leadership) and the Order of Omega (Greek leadership). Dempsey also was involved in the service organizations Habitat for Humanity and Students Helping Animals Regain Equality (SHARE), Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, Business Fellows, Beta Alpha Psi and the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute Research Challenge. He worked as a student ambassador in the Porter Family Professional Development Center and completed internships with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Haverford Trust Company. He now works at PricewaterhouseCoopers as an advisory associate.