As a part of a new program to train students in highly desirable “soft skills,” Crosby Scholars gathered students and members of the Iredell County business community for a networking luncheon yesterday.
Elevate: Building Skills for Business Success is a program partially funded by a grant from the Foundation For The Carolinas. Students previously took part in self-paced, virtual, and in-person workshops to learn soft skills like communication, presentation, networking and etiquette. Those skills were on display during yesterday’s gathering, with students and business leaders mingling, networking, and making connections.
Held at the Gatherings Catering and Event Center in Statesville, the luncheon provided a real-world scenario for students to apply what they’ve learned through Elevate, from table etiquette to making conversation in a business environment.
The featured speaker was Richard Totten, Organizational Development Professional at Goodwill Industries of Northwest NC. Totten spoke about the value of networking and making connections, providing four R’s to guide students:
👉 Reflection: Make sure that when you look in the mirror, you believe in the person you see. You can’t sell yourself to a prospective employer unless you recognize and believe in your own value.
👉 Relationships: You must be willing to reach out and make connections, even when it’s uncomfortable.
👉 Repetition: Keep up with your relationships. Text your connections. Message them. Like and comment on social media. And do so when you have nothing to ask of that person. Otherwise, you risk becoming what Totten called a “AAA,” meaning someone for whom there is, “Always An Ask.”
👉 Rubber: Be resilient. Bounce back. If you are turned down for a job, don’t allow that diminish your belief in your own value.
Students were given the opportunity to connect with attending members of the business community through LinkedIn, forming professional relationships to help them in the future.
The gathering also included a shout-out for Xavier, an attending student, celebrating his birthday!
A final Elevate session will be held for students in January to review all that was learned from the business luncheon.
Thanks so much to those members of the business community that stepped up to support student success in Iredell County!
