The Bridge - Issue 2, 2022 - 6

Alumni News
New HKN Committee
Focuses on Engaging
& Re-Engaging Alumni
Amy Jones, IEEE-HKN Young Alumni Subcommittee
Chair and Hulya Kirkici, IEEE-HKN Alumni Engagement
Committee Chair
For students, HKN is a touchpoint that both recognizes
achievement and charges them to continue to excel in
all areas of their lives. As they get older and transition
into later phases of their careers, " the reasons that
we need HKN don't necessarily change - we all are
looking for connection, recognition, and support - but
the way that HKN can serve those needs evolves with
us, " said Amy Jones, Gamma Theta Chapter and Chair
of the IEEE-HKN Young Alumni Subcommittee.
Alumni connected with each other during the first
HKN Alumni reception of 2022.
The committee will focus on supporting alumnistudent
networking, promoting best practices of alumni
engagement, and providing opportunities for alumni to
get together, said Hulya Kirkici, Chair of the IEEE-HKN
Alumni Activities Committee.
Former Region 1 Director Charles Rubenstein and Charlotte Blair meet
a student during the reception.
She continued: " One of the best pieces of advice
I have ever received about networking is to have
a few questions ready that you can ask anyone as
an icebreaker. When it comes to HKN, my favorite
question to ask at an event is 'What was it that made
you want to be a member?' For those of us who joined
as students, most of the answers are centered around
connections: connections to our peers, professors,
and a network of professional opportunities. I identify
strongly with those answers, since mine is very similar.
Over a decade later, I distinctly remember the nerves
and uncertainty when walking into my first circuits class
without recognizing anyone, and (a year later), the
calm assurance I felt while planning out how my fellow
HKN inductees and I would partner up in labs. That
contrast has been an illustration to me of what HKN
offers to us over the course of our lives. "
THE BRIDGE
One avenue for this connection is Alumni Receptions
held at various locations or in conjunction with other
IEEE events and conferences. The Committee and its
Subcommittees have been working diligently to identify
and meet the needs of HKN's members in the ways
that only HKN can.
For example, young alumni are going through many
major transitions as they begin to establish themselves
as professionals. Many are defining their professional
brand, balancing the demands of work and family,
making decisions about continuing education,
practicing soft skills in the workplace, or even moving
companies for the first time.
These are experiences that are often characterized
by trial and error and can bring with them a great
deal of uncertainty. The Young Alumni Subcommittee
has launched a podcast, " Career Conversations, " that
is aimed at making these obstacles a little easier to
overcome by asking more experienced members to
share their lessons learned.
Keeping all these in mind, the IEEE-HKN Board of
Governors formed the Alumni Engagement Committee
to explore how HKN can provide for the needs of
members outside of their collegiate experience,
including providing opportunities for networking
and engagement after graduation. Specifically,
the Committee's charter is to engage with alumni
in general, facilitate Alumni Chapter formation,
communicate with Alumni Chapters, and more.
The Bridge - Issue 2, 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Bridge - Issue 2, 2022
