Graduates returned to campus to mentor, inspire and show seniors what leadership looks like in today’s world, while also providing valuable information regarding their careers in various fields.
The 19th annual Alumni Leadership Day for Kinkaid, an event established to connect seniors to successful alumni to build a professional network and learn more about different careers, was held Oct. 25. The program featured 50 alumni from graduating classes ranging from 2004 to 2019.
Seniors kicked off their day with an assembly going over the features of the day. Following that, they attended three different 30-minute panel sessions during which alumni shared summaries of how their workdays look and what a career in their field entails. They also included their educational and work history by talking about experiences in their respective industries.
“The Alumni Leadership Day was really helpful in informing me of what careers in different industries look like,” senior Rob Satcher said. “The presentations were engaging and brought me interest in fields I wasn’t too familiar with.”
The information helped seniors gain a wider glimpse into fields they might be interested in going into. The panels also displayed the demands and expectations of different careers. There were 11 total panel sessions that students could choose from, varying across different industries including finance, law and arts.
Senior Alex Boylan attended the technology, entrepreneurship and engineering panels, where he got to meet accomplished alumni such as Graham Gaylor, the CEO and cofounder of VRChat, a widely used social network program.
“The technology panel was my favorite session because it gave me a lot of information on how computer science is important for our future,” Boylan said. “I didn’t know too much about what a day in the life looked like for someone working in the computer science field, but I gained a lot of insight through the panel.”
Following the three-panel sessions, students attended a luncheon roundtable, where they had the opportunity to sit with an alum and gain deeper insight into their experiences.
“The luncheon roundtable was a great experience because we got to talk to alumni in small groups, which resulted in a more private environment,” senior Jason Zhang said. “This provided an excellent opportunity for us to raise more specific questions and learn more about the nuances these professionals deal with in their career on a daily basis.”
Alumni Leadership Day is organized by Mrs. Emily Dominique, alumni activities manager, as well as Mr. Ricky Perusquia ‘11, the 2024-25 president of the Kinkaid Youth Professionals Organization. Both Mrs. Dominique and Mr. Perusquia worked in conjunction to host the event, bringing in alumni from diverse professions to present to the students.
The Kinkaid Youth Professionals Organization serves Kinkaid alumni for up to 15 years after they graduate by building up a network and providing connections for them. It also holds various events for alumni and organizes Kinkaid events, including the Alumni Leadership Day for seniors.
