Recently Wyman hosted its 5th annual speed-networking event during its three-day summer bridge conference. The conference is designed to support the transition from high school to college and to make sure that the transition is successful.
Ameren, a longtime supporter of Wyman, hosted the event at its headquarters, located at 1901 Chouteau, through its Ameren Cares program. The speed networking event was just one of the many workshops in the conference.
Ten networking professionals from various fields were involved in the speed-networking event. They represented businesses and organizations that include Ameren, AT&T, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Eaton, Edward Jones, Emerson, Mercy Hospital St. Louis, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and the Scholarship Foundation.
The goal of the speed-networking event is to expose young people to different professionals and opportunities, in addition to developing and practicing critical networking skills. All participants are from the high school graduating classes of 2015 and 2016 and are part of Wyman’s Teen Leadership Program or its newest addition, Inspire STL.
Darlisa Harrison, 18, is a veteran of Wyman’s Teen Leadership Program. This upcoming school year she will be a freshman at the University Of Central Missouri pursuing a degree in nursing. She became a member of Wyman when she was nominated for the program in 7th grade by a concerned teacher at Hazelwood West Middle School.
Harrison said her living arrangements were inconsistent during her 7th and 8th grade years due to moving from shelter to shelter with her mother and two younger sisters.
“I felt as though I had to hold everybody together and do everything myself,” she said. “Then I came to the realization that I can do nothing in this situation.”
Wyman changed that.
“At that point, I’d been back and forth from homeless shelters and women’s shelters, always having to be more mature,” she said. “Wyman allowed me to be a kid again.”
Harrison believes that without the help of Wyman she would not be preparing to attend college next year.
“Before attending Wyman, I used to think, ‘I can’t go to college. I can’t afford that. We don’t even have a house. How can I do that?” Harrison said. “The Wyman staff showed me that it was possible. They were my support system and mentors.”
This summer, Harrison came back to serve as a counselor at Wyman and plans to be involved with the program for years to come.
Rob Foley, IT director of the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, has participated in the speed-networking event since its formation. He described the event as energizing and inspiring.
“I come because it’s rewarding for me,” Foley said. “I see that these children in our community have so much potential. The kind of work that they’re doing here at Wyman cannot be replaced by technology. If I can take one or two afternoons to participate in this program, I will do it proudly.”
Foley said that he and the Scholarship Foundation intend to participate in the program for as long as it continues.
At the end of the event, the students and mentors gathered in a circle to reflect and debrief. While in the circle of reflection, both the students and professionals shared powerful thoughts. Professionals offered the students sound pieces of advice: “Be excellent wherever you are, because doors will open”; “Surround yourself with good people, always look for mentors, because they will help you advance”; “Don’t underestimate the impact you can have as one person.”
Gwen Mizell, director of Diversity and Inclusion at Ameren, concluded the event by offering the students a final word of advice: “Don’t be defined by your circumstance. You can change that paradigm. Use all the resources available to you.”
