Dinner with a dozen Grizzlies

Thirteen Oakland University biology and pre-med students gained valuable networking skills and professional contacts at OU’s new tradition -- Dinner with a Dozen Grizzlies -- on Nov. 6. The concept, based on UCLA’s award-winning program, is simple: alumni host dinners in their homes for students and fellow alumni. They exchange ideas and career experience.

“It is an opportunity for students and alumni to make new friends and professional contacts,” explains Susan Davies Goepp, vice president for University Relations, who hosted the event. “By hosting or attending the event as an alumni, you are able to help students network and build connections that will be invaluable after graduation.”

Katlyn Leidal, a junior in OU’s School of Education and Human Services and a member of the Future Alumni Network (FANs), says “I always enjoy attending the Dinner with a Dozen Grizzlies because it brings the OU community together. Students meet alumni and get to know them as people, and learn from their experiences.

“I personally benefit by getting to know many more people. You never know which meeting will eventually lead to an internship, or a job, or a recommendation letter,” she says.

Alumni are invited to host or co-host dinners. Several dinners are scheduled each year. To learn more about the Dinner with a Dozen Grizzlies program, visit www.oualumni.com or contact Carol Carpenter at cmcarpen@oakland.edu.