Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Making Purposeful Connections with WS@W

Alumnae and students gathered on campus in October for the inaugural William Smith @ Work conference. The group was created to provide mentorship, resources and purposeful connections to accelerate careers among William Smith alumnae. WS@W events provide opportunities for networking and collaboration.

The conference, organized by the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education, included speakers, panels, interactive career sessions and leadership development workshops featuring William Smith alumnae. Industry panels focused on the arts, fashion, finance, law, nonprofits and education, sales, the sciences, communications, human resources, insurance and social justice.

A highlight of the weekend came when Mehrnaz "Naz" Vahid-Ahdieh '85, P'17 was presented with the Board of Trustees Career Services Award. The award honors and celebrates alumni, alumnae, parents and friends of the Colleges whose commitment and effort through the Salisbury Center have transformed the lives of HWS students.

Vahid-Ahdieh, managing director at Citi Private Bank, delivered the keynote address. "Making an impact" was one of the most valuable lessons she says she took from HWS. "When you see something that's wrong-what are you going to do to change it?"