When you study at Glion Institute of Higher Education, you have the chance to enjoy a fulfilling student life. One way is through our many societies, groups and committees, which brings likeminded individuals together to enjoy various activities. A great example is the Glion Networking Committee, which organises industry visits, hosts conferences and looks after external guests. The founders, Matthieu Petit, Patrik Sebastian Kuhn, Parham Zaim Zadeh, Pierre Pavlovsky, and Rita Amorim tell us more.
Forming the committee
Parham and Patrik are President and Vice-President of the committee, respectively. They formed the committee to bring people together. “We believe that our initiatives and abilities will strengthen the ties between the social and academic aspect of our team members, students, the Glion faculty, and a wide variety of external professionals and companies.”
The idea of forming the Networking Committee came early on in their studies. “We always wanted to bring people together in order to gain knowledge from others,” they said. “One event led to another, and when we had to give it a name, the Networking Committee was born. We hope that one day we will look back on it and be mesmerised by how much it grew.”
Since the Committee came to fruition, Patrik, Parham and co have organised a series of successful events. These have included:
- Two consecutive alumni dinners, “where students had the opportunity to chat with some of our alumni over a cocktail”;
- Internship experience presentations, “where three of our members provide information and knowledge to students about to embark on their first internship”;
- Company visits to leading organisations, such as luxury watchmaker Hublot and Christie’s auction house;
- The Networking Conference, in which “industry leaders speak about how to position one’s self in the modern world, either as an individual or within a company.” The next conference is due to take place on Wednesday 23 May.
For the future, Patrik and Parham have plenty of innovative ideas, including a black-tie gala dinner and a creative CV competition, where students get to showcase their CV to a board of specialists.
The benefits
Our committee boasts an impressive number of students with high grades, diverse nationalities and cultures. We have great social relations with the community. We strongly believe that all these pieces put together create great value.
Since forming, the Committee Team has grown to 20 members. “We are separated into different teams, with some leading projects as key players,” they said. “We have teams doing the marketing and the events, but we are all working for the committee as one unit.” The team conducts weekly meetings and provide frequent updates to ensure every project and event is successful.
Both Patrik and Parham feel it’s been highly beneficial to their studies and their lives in general. “It has brought me hope,” Parham said. “We can achieve anything if we put our minds to it.” For Patrik, it’s helped push him to achieve more. “By means of social engagement experience and being able to fully use my academic knowledge, it is leading me to do my very best and achieve the finest results,” he said.
The Networking Committee has not just brought benefits to its members. Patrik and Parham believe that it’s highly valued by the wider student community. “The feedback and requests we have received shows just how much the committee is valued,” they said. “Our committee boasts an impressive number of students with high grades, diverse nationalities and cultures. We have great social relations with the community. We strongly believe that all these pieces put together create great value.”
The importance of networking
“Networking goes beyond the idea of just meeting people in different industries,” they said. “The events we organise stem from a void that we feel needs to be filled. The committee seeks to be responsible for the smooth running of the planning and design, as well as the reception of external guests. The latter could be anything from a company or an industry leader to a Glion alumni or external partner.”
For the future, Patrik and Parham hope to see the committee grow further. “We feel this is the start of a neverending journey,” they said. “We are certain that it has an ideal position and place to continue. Students get to meet the leaders of today and be the leaders of tomorrow.”
