Entrepreneurs and Investment Clubs Sponsor ‘Youth Talks’
March 7, 2017
On Wednesday March 8, Hudson Valley Community College's Entrepreneurs and Investment clubs will host the first in a series of lectures by business owners and industry experts aimed at helping students achieve their career aspirations. The series, called Youth Talks, was started by Hudson Valley alumna Sandra Thomas, who graduated from Hudson Valley in 2016 with a Business Administration degree and was part of both clubs during her time at the college. The inaugural event is named 'Transformation and the Future of Business Symposium', and will focus on the challenges and innovations facing entrepreneurs and business leaders in today's marketplace.
The event will be held in the Bulmer Telecommunications Center auditorium from 2-5 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Industry leaders will give a series of 5-, 10-, and 15-minute talks designed to inspire students with stories of resilience and personal transformation as well as provide a way for them to learn about new technologies, opportunities, and industry challenges. The talks will take place from 2-4 p.m., with a chance for students to mingle and network during the 4-5 p.m. hour.
The Youth Talks: Transformation and the Future of Business Symposium lecture schedule for Wednesday, March 8 is as follows:
2:05-2:10 p.m.: Introduction
2:10-2:20 p.m.: Janet Carmosky, Executive Director, Albany Can Code: "Transforming Our Software Workforce, Transforming Our Region's Economy"
2:25-2:30 p.m.: Chad Bryan, Grace Fellowship Church: "How Tough Conversations Can Make or Break Your Leadership"
2:35-2:50 p.m.: Sarah Meister, Manager of Hardware and Design, Indiegogo: "The Future of Entrepreneurship"
3-3:15 p.m.: Tara Brettholtz, Director of Talent and Diversity, Ayco Company: "A Better Metric Than Employee Engagement"
3:20-3:25 p.m.: Dr. John Gowdy, Economist, Author and Professor of Economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: "Economics of Ant Populations and Applications in Human Society"
3:30-3:35 p.m.: Kareem Jandali, Real Estate Entrepreneur and Investor, "Money Talks #RealEstate"
3:40-4 p.m.: Isabelle McKusick, United Nations, "Reframing Our Lives from the Perspective of Sustainable Development"
Thomas, now a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, plans to continue hosting Youth Talks events on various subjects to inspire young people to be creative and innovative and take action in their communities and careers. She says the talks are designed to spark ideas that will help students find their passion and also address the needs of modern society.
"Youth Talks engages young minds with information, inspiration and motivation with the hope of sparking passion and perseverance," explained Thomas. "Our goal is to bring together bright minds to give short talks that are idea-focused, to foster, learning, inspiration and wonder, and provoke conversations that matter."
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Founded in 1953, Hudson Valley Community College offers more than 80 associate degree and certificate programs in four schools: Business; Engineering and Industrial Technologies; Health Sciences; and Liberal Arts and Sciences; and an Educational Opportunity Center for academic and career training. One of 30 community colleges in the State University of New York system, it has an enrollment of nearly 11,500 students, and is known as a leader in distance learning initiatives and workforce training. Hudson Valley has 80,000 alumni.