Kellstadt Alumni Offer Guidance in New Podcast Series

By Meghrie Babikian

If you had asked me at the start of the year what my vision was for this year, I definitely would not have predicted the current state we are living in. When the university announced earlier this spring that it would move all courses and services online due to COVID-19 social distancing, I was nervous that we wouldn’t receive all the perks of being a DePaul student when we shifted to a virtual format. One of the reasons I chose DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business is its connections to a large alumni network. I knew that as a Kellstadt student, I’d have access to many resources and alumni to help me along the way in achieving my goals.

After a full quarter of remote learning, I can happily say DePaul and the Kellstadt Career Management Center have continued delivering these resources through a virtual graduate experience. From networking events on Zoom and weekly webinars curated specifically in regards to the current state of the world, to bi-weekly open-forum discussions with our career and academic advisors, Kellstadt has truly made the transition seamless.

I especially enjoyed how Kellstadt involved its alumni network to help guide us on how to navigate these difficult circumstances we are facing. One way they did this was by creating a Kellstadt Alumni Podcast Series.

The podcast features alumni from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. In 10 to 20-minute episodes, a guest shares their experiences through the pandemic, how their professional lives have changed and what kind of advice they have for those of us who are entering the job search in this challenging time. Some of the other topics discussed are guided by the following questions:

• How has your company pivoted?
• Are you overseeing anyone? If so, how have you experienced the shift form managing a team on-site to managing remotely?
• Are you currently trying to fill any roles? How have you approached hiring and onboarding team members remotely?

My biggest takeaways from the podcast have been insightful and reassuring. Hearing alumni tell their stories reminded me that I’m not alone surveying the professional landscape in such a challenging time, and that it’s OK to seek guidance and ask for help. Here are some additional insights I gained from the Kellstadt Alumni Podcast Series:

• Sometimes you have to be in the wrong place at the right time until you are in the right place and the right time. What does this mean? It can’t hurt to put yourself out there, ask questions and continue to build your network. Even if those efforts don’t immediately lead to a positive outcome, you are putting in the work necessary to land you in the right place in the future.
• No matter the circumstance, put deep care, effort and hard work into everything you do. Just because things are virtual/remote and “far away”, doesn’t mean that our efforts should feel far away and removed, too. Now more than ever, the world is watching to see how we handle our time and energy through this experience. Whether it be applying to jobs, connecting with people over the phone/online, or taking a certification or LinkedIn Learning course – our efforts should be just as present and we must stay just as invested, with a clear vision of our goals in mind.

The Kellstadt Alumni Podcast Series is available to Kellstadt students on the CMC D2L webpage. New episodes will drop this coming fall.

Meghrie Babikian graduated from the University of California Irvine with a Bachelor of Music degree, and holds a Master of Music degree with an emphasis in piano performance, from Roosevelt University. She is currently pursuing an MBA at DePaul and is co-founder and co-president of Kellstadt’s Women in Business student organization.