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Alumni relations launch new social platform

Alumni Relations recently launched a new online program that allows students and the Seton Hall community to broaden their professional network. [caption id="attachment_23940" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Photo via Pexels[/caption] Pirate Connect is a new platform that connects current SHU students with alumni in various fields. Students can access mentors through the new social platform and connect with them to seek help with resume writing and interviewing. Students can join groups, message alumni and request to be shadowed at their place of work. “There is a wide network of people out there that are Pirates, and so we find over and over that they want to help other Pirates,” said Reesa Greenwald, director of the Career Center. “They want to help up and coming professionals and they are coming back to Seton Hall to say how can I help students.” Greenwald said alumni have started joining the network in June and that there are now almost 700 who are signed up. She said Pirate Connect is not meant to replace other sites, and students should still be utilizing sites like LinkedIn and Navigator. Greenwald explained that Pirate Connect is a good place to talk to fellow Pirates that had the same major and talk about possible jobs and internships. If you are undecided, she said, you can talk to someone to help you figure out what major to pursue. Erika Clinger, the director of partnerships with Alumni Relations, said that they noticed that there was an open opportunity for alumni to connect with current students and were shocked by how many alumni have already joined Pirate Connect. “The face of mentoring is changing and so we are trying to answer that call and offer some things so alumni will be able to help current students,” She said. Clinger said that Pirate Connect can be used for anything the student wants, whether it be a phone call or a coffee with an alum, or finding a mentor for the rest of their college career. “Our end goal is that students will really utilize their alumni network because the alumni are there and they are willing to help,” she said. Joe Testa, a SHU alumnus who graduated in 2012, has been a Pirate Mentor for a couple years and has already joined Pirate Connect. Testa said he had a mentor during his SHU career, but wished the university had something like Pirate Connect when he was a student. Testa normally mentors two or three students at a time and helps them with resume building and interviewing. He said his favorite part of being a mentor is watching the students grow. He added that he likes being a mentor because it makes him feel like he is still a part of Seton Hall even though he graduated. Testa said that alumni helping students obtain jobs and internships benefits other students as they can help future students obtain jobs and internships after they graduate. “Giving your money is one thing, and I think that’s very important, but really giving your time is another, and I think you can be much more impactful,” Testa said. Pirate Connect can be found through the “Careers” tab on PirateNet and is available as a mobile app for iOS and Android. Veronica Gaspa can be reached at veronica.gaspa@student.shu.edu.

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