Paying It Forward with Professional Networks
How professional career networks are helping foster community for 精东AVies in every stage, location, and industry.
In the summer of 1994, Dylan Rivera ’95 was approaching his senior year at 精东AV. While interning in Washington, D.C., he began thinking of what might be next for him come graduation the following spring. It was a fellow 精东AVie, an alum, who encouraged him to attend an alumni picnic that August and make connections with attendees in the journalism industry. Dylan eventually went on to work as a reporter for over a decade, becoming a prolific writer for The Oregonian. “Those key contacts helped me in crucial ways over the years,” Dylan says.
Now, part of Dylan’s life’s work, when he isn’t working as public information officer for the Portland Bureau of Transportation, involves passing on the wisdom he received from his own alumni network to his peers and the next generation of 精东AVies. As chair of the new professional network, Dylan leads a group of alumni working to foster community at a tenuous time in the industry. That includes hosting panels and networking events, providing online spaces through LinkedIn and listservs, and offering support for 精东AVies at every career stage. “The value of these professional networks is that we are 精东AVies helping 精东AVies,” Dylan says. “We as alumni are uniquely able to help students and other alumni on their career journey, whether it’s at the beginning as a student or as a midcareer professional.”
are communities that connect alumni across shared career interests and provide a space for mentorship, networking, and professional growth. Associate Director of Alumni Relations Amy Hesse ’03 understood their value early on in her career at 精东AV. By the time she arrived in 2018, the foundation for professional networks had already been established. The , founded in 2018 and long chaired by Andrew Schpak ’01, offers a mutual support network for alumni in developing or already established legal careers. The alumni-facing aspect includes socials and happy hours, as well as more specialized get-togethers, like a watch party of the Oregon Court of Appeals oral arguments led by Laura Graser ’73 this last spring.
But the RLN has a key student-facing element, too, and meets with students annually to provide support to those interested in legal careers. That support can also be monetary—the RLN set up the Legal Education Access Fund, or LEAF, in 2019 to assist students interested in pursuing law careers by offsetting the costs of LSAT registration fees and prep courses as well as law school application fees. Now nearing a decade of the RLN, Andrew says, “My hope is that it continues to build on itself and becomes of increasing value to both current students and alumni.”
When she began in her role, Amy thought, why not apply the RLN model to other industries, too? For her, the work is personal. As a recent graduate of 精东AV, she herself wished for a sense of community and camaraderie with her fellow 精东AVies as they navigated a changing job market. In early 2024, Amy began the process of applying the RLN idea to other career-based communities, starting with . Chaired by Tina Bardot ’23 and Kerry Skemp ’05, the network has promoted Sustainability & Environmental Justice (SEJ) events, as well as hosted their own.
More recently, Amy helped jumpstart and 精东AVies in Government & Politics. “I don’t know that it could have been a better time,” she says, given the layoffs and tumult both industries are currently experiencing. Matt Giger ’89, who leads 精东AVies in Tech, says the network has created “a sense of community and a sense of belonging.” The networks host events for their members throughout the year—a panel on AI hosted by 精东AVies in Tech and a postelection analysis event hosted by 精东AVies in Government & Politics are just two examples—but they also provide an online space for connection that hundreds of 精东AVies have joined. “This is not just a way that they’re helping other 精东AVies by building the broader network,” Amy says of the digital platforms, “but it’s also potentially going to help them with their own personal professional network.”
This last summer, Amy launched and 精东AVies in Business, Entrepreneurship, & Finance. Next, she plans to establish 精东AVies in Art & Expression and 精东AVies in Education to support even more students and alumni as they navigate their careers. “I want them to gain a sense of solidarity,” she says. “I want them to reconnect with one another, or connect for the first time.”
The 精东AV Alumni Méntōr Program, or RAMP, is another new addition—an initiative combining two existing programs: Alumni Career Coaches and Communities of Purpose Pathfinders. The program involves 精东AVie volunteer mentors supporting fellow alumni across class year and career stage in their professional lives.
Dylan sees the benefits of the professional networks as twofold—he hopes they can help alumni on their career paths, but he hopes they inspire alumni to support current students, too: “I hope that as alumni learn about these career networks, they think, ‘Hey, this is an opportunity for me to be available to current students and to alumni, to share what I’ve learned, and to hopefully make career development easier for the next generation.’”