When I first arrived at Amherst, one of the first things I heard the most talked about was how the people at Amherst truly contribute to the college experience, and during my time at Amherst, I kept learning more about how truthful this is. Not only does this apply to the people actively at Amherst, but it also applies to the alumni. As I began exploring my career options, one strong recommendation the advisors at the Loeb Center gave me was to start networking, and a great place to start networking is within the Amherst Alumni network.
As an Amherst student, I have full access to the Amherst Alumni network, which means that I can see where previous Amherst students currently live and work. I’ve also found that this Alumni network is a great way of finding alumni who aren’t usually active on Linkedin, a job platform that many people use to form networking connections. Through this database, I’ve reached out to alumni working in various industries, such as finance and entertainment, to gain a better understanding of their role at the company they work in and the company they work at as well. While some of these alumni feel comfortable with only sharing this information, some alumni have gone above and beyond in terms of supporting me by responding eagerly to follow-up emails and offering to send roles that they believe I’d be interested in. I’m always honored whenever alumni are willing to talk with me out of their busy days.
Amherst also hosts a ton of alumni events, such as homecoming, and there are specific events and groups that unite Amherst alumni with students who share a similar identity. For example, I’ve been to a local lunch hosted by the Amherst Asian Alumni Network in the Bay Area, and I got to meet a ton of Amherst alumni who graduated many years before I even got to Amherst and heard all their stories about the college. I’m also part of the Amherst Asian Alumni Mentorship program, and I get to meet with my mentor once a month to talk about anything related to school or internship applications. I was specifically matched with my mentor due to my interest in finance, so I’ve had many great conversations about the finance industry and internships. Access to the Amherst Alumni Network has been so invaluable to me, and I hope when I graduate, I will help out future eager Amherst students.