Networking at Night was hosted by the University of North Dakota Career Services and took place on April 6th from 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm. The event was free to all students and a three-course plated meal was offered upon seating. There were various business leaders from around the greater Grand Forks area who facilitated the event and gave students insight into their own career journeys. To top this event off, the special guest speaker of the night was the University of North Dakota’s own Head football Coach, Bubba Schweigert.  

The night kicked off with served hors d’oeuvres, refreshments, and mingling; students were encouraged to build their networking skills. Students were given a name tag upon entry and received a series of icebreaker questions for quick introductions among fellow students and business leaders. For reference, here are a few of the questions students were presented with: What is your favorite Netflix show and why or name the last time you visited a location/place/event for the first time. 

Soon after the meet-and-greet portion of the night, students were able to sit down with their peers and experience a fully plated 3-course meal with salad, entree of their choice (chicken, beef, and vegetarian friendly), and dessert. Once seated, students were spoken to by Mary Feller, a career coach with UND Career Services. She discussed tips on business dinner etiquette, as well as general information about how to start networking with real-world people and what Career Services has to offer students.  

This portion of the night was followed by guest speaker coach Bubba Schweigert, who discussed stories from his many years out in the field and gave students advice on how to build connections with others. After the speech, there was a short Q&A session where students were able to text in a variety of questions. The final question of the night was something along the lines of, “Do you think Tom Brady should see another championship?” The end of the night flew by as students and guests enjoyed their meals, and discussed everything from interview tips to current career journeys.  

Overall, this was an amazing experience for the students in attendance and next year it’s going to be even bigger. Thank you Career Services for providing a lot of great new opportunities like this one to students every single week.  

Demetria Slyt is a Dakota Student Opinion Writer. She can be reached at [email protected].