Among the many events leading up to Convocation, there is one evening that helps soon-to-be MSL grads with their future plans: Industry Associates Night. The premier MSL event of the year brings together students, alumni, and professionals working at the intersection of law, business and tech for a night of presentations and networking.
This year we had the honor of featuring the following experts:
- Parminder Batra Co-Founder & CEO, TraknProtect
- Azurii Collier Manager, Accenture
- Kurt Johnson Venture Advisor, Purple Arch Ventures
- Bill O’Connor Operations Manager & Recruitment Coordinator, Hanley, Flight & Zimmerman
- Suresh Pillai Senior Corporate Counsel, IP, Astellas Pharma
- J.Lynn Watkins-Asiyanbi Associate General Counsel, JBT FoodTech
- Amy Yates Global Privacy Officer, McKinsey & Company
As well as the following MSL alumni:
- Celeste Calhoun-Johnson (MSL ’16) Senior Regulatory Affairs Associate, Akzo Nobel Chemicals
- Erwin Cruz (MSL ’17) IP Strategy & Management, Grainger
- Jordan Stewart (MSL ’16) Manager Corporate Strategy, IBM
Each guest had six minutes to ‘pitch’ their career path to the MSL students and they were able to pack quite a lot of info in that limited time slot. Azurri described consulting as a career fit for those who love problem solving and are passionate about a particular industry. Amy’s advice was to look for opportunities that may not seem obvious at the time but can pave the way to an exciting new specialization. Parminder turned a personal tragedy into a moment to reflect on what her professional priorities were, leading her to entrepreneurship. Erwin used the interdisciplinary skills he learned at the MSL to create new opportunities within his corporation. Kurt stressed that creativity and non-linear thinking may not be the fast path to making a dollar but it’s definitely a better path to creating a career you want.
Students were able to continue the conversation with all the panelists at a lively networking reception. We can’t wait to see what they do next!
