On Nov. 7, the Memorial Healthcare Systems and the NSU College of Pharmacy present the second annual Futures Summit, free to NSU students, at the Rick Case Arena from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
This event will provide students the opportunity to interact and meet top professionals in the field while providing a comfortable atmosphere for all parties involved.
“This event is different than the average career showcase. Employers are given exposure and the opportunity for business to business engagement and students have the opportunity to be in this atmosphere,” said Dr. Scott Kjelson, director of student transitions and assistant professor at NSU.
Kjelson stressed that this event along with any other networking opportunities, is an integral part of the college experience.
“ [The Futures Summit] is that missing link that you can’t find in a book. Taking advantage of these networking opportunities as early as possible is the number one goal that should be in the mind of every student,” said Kjelson.
The Futures Summit is open to all students interested in and willing to gain exposure and meet new people. Kjelson said that this event while primarily centered around the healthcare field, is not exclusively healthcare based.
“Just because someone works in one field doesn’t mean they don’t have contacts in others and if you open up to that opportunity for that network and resources, you will find more opportunities,” said Kjelson.
This year’s Futures Summit is in conjunction with the Shepard Broad College of Law, Business School, College of Pharmacy and NSU’s Public Health and College of Osteopathic Medicine which gives businesses and students alike the opportunity to work together and create networking opportunities.
There will be a 120 companies and businesses tabling at this event including big names like the DEA, CVS, Walgreens and all military branches. This career showcase will also include panel discussions with professional figures, professional headshot opportunities and amenities of music and catering services.
“My favorite part of [last year’s]Future Summit was the panel discussion. It included discussions from pharmacists of different fields such as academics, hospital, retail, clinical and more. Their input on their experiences and methods of moving up within the pharmacy field was motivating and encouraging as a student,” said Amanda Palmieri, a graduate pharmacy student.
This event was created to help students gain exposure to companies and fields they normally don’t have exposure to and raise money for the colleges that are involved in this event. This year, 20,000 was donated through sponsorships from businesses that are involved in this event. The sponsors are charged for exposure to the students and the community while the students also receive benefits.
“Being able to offer [exposure] to a company that would be of interest to them and to get something that can benefit us and our students [through donations] is a win-win,” said Kjelson.
In the future, this event plans to grow on campus and encourage more partnerships with businesses of various fields.
“We want to create value for those connections so our students find that value and are able to identify how to become ideal candidates for the specific positions they are interested in,” said Kjelson.
Students are asked to RSVP online at pharmacy.nova.edu/summit/index.html as soon as possible since the event will sell out fast.
