On April 26, students enrolled in the public relations (PRL) 318 class hosted guest speakers in a panel discussion detailing the potential different paths students can take after graduation. 

This event, called “After the Lake,” took place in the Marano Campus Center auditorium, and it was a hit among students of a variety of majors.

There were three excellent speakers at this event, including Lindsay McCluskey, Megan Mazzoccone and Mary Buske. McCluskey is a public relations professor at SUNY Oswego, and she is also a seasoned PR professional with years of field experience. 

During the panel, when asked to present words of encouragement for students, McCluskey said, “When you’re at this point in your life, take a lot of risks because nothing has to be forever”. 

One of her other major suggestions was that students should “use the resources around you to help you make your transition … your best resource is each other”.

The second speaker on the panel was Mazzoccone, who is a member of the theatre department faculty and is also a career coach in the career services center here at Oswego. Mazzoccone is new to Oswego but has made her mark across the theater department and many of the students in the School of Communication, Media and the Arts. 

“If someone is working a job you want to be working, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask them how they got there,” Mazzoccone said. 

She strongly encouraged students to have confidence in themselves and to break out of their comfort zones to learn new things.

The third speaker,  Buske, created and runs her own life-coaching business. Buske also worked at SUNY Oswego as a career coach for students with undeclared majors. 

 “You don’t need to have an answer for your future right now, answers come over time, what matters is that you have a plan to find those answers,” Buske said.

This event was created and run entirely by students in PRL 318, coached by Professor Katherine White. Students of the class had to plan, promote and execute this event as a team, and the class had student Rickey Strachan take on the role of the panel moderator for the event. Strachan asked a variety of insightful and thought-provoking questions for the panelists, which provided for an interesting and engaging discussion. 

Strachan learned a lot from his panelist experience. 

“Collaboration works, if it’s done well and if you believe in everybody who’s on your team,” Strachan said. 

PRL 318 student Marissa Nuzzio was on the executive committee for this event.

“We really, really wanted to make this not just a good grade for us but a really immersive experience for anybody and everybody who wanted to come whether you were a senior or even a freshman who wanted to learn about their career,” Nuzzio said.

The “After the Lake” student coordinators not only created and put on a successful event, but they also allowed many of their peers to hear from real professionals what it is like to enter the workforce after graduating from college.

Photo provided by: Lauren Royce