Real Life 101

This week, UB students learned that there's more to life than classes, textbooks and final exams.

As a part of a lecture series offering leadership seminars to students, Real Life 101 was held at 235 Student Union on Thursday. It was an opportunity for students to get a realistic glimpse of life after college and what it's like to enter the world of work.

The seminar consisted of four expert panelists, all of whom were UB alumni. They each offered insight into the business world, life beyond the classroom and effective leadership skills.

Amy Wilson, the associate director for Student Leadership & Community Engagement, served as the host for the event.

"We want students to think about leadership outside (business) positions and about leadership within the community," Wilson said.

A group of roughly 30 students were in attendance at the seminar, many in pursuit of the Leadership Certificate offered by the Center for Student Leadership & Community Engagement. Attending four leadership workshops fulfills one of the certificate requirements.

"I'm doing the (Leadership) Certificate program," said Brittany Malone, a freshman pharmacy major. "It involves leadership, and I wanted to see what it's all about."

Katherine Berry, a senior psychology major, attended the seminar to improve personally and to become better prepared to enter the workforce next year

"This is my last year - I'm going into a five-year grad program," Barry said. "I'm looking for tips to put myself out there for interviews, especially internship interviews."

David Pysz, the first speaker on the panel, is a staff pharmacist at Buffalo Pharmacies Institutional. Pysz is an alumnus of the UB School of Pharmacy. He explained his career strategies, shared advice and described how he has gotten to where he is now.

"You can be a leader in so many ways. You'll find out that management and leadership are not synonymous," Pysz said. "Everyone does not work in the same manner; everybody approaches work differently."

According to Pysz, some of the most important qualities a person can possess as an adult are good listening and communication skills, which can sometimes be just as important as your work experience or degree.

Rita Andolina, another panel speaker, is a social worker for the Western New York branch of the Developmental Disabilities Services Organization. Andolina's advice primarily regarded the importance of working well with others and getting along with coworkers in any environment to work together as a team.

"I really like people, and you need to really like people to interact and have good skills," Andolina said. "Encourage people's hearts...personal stories and various issues are important to people. There's something positive about everyone."

Panelists took turns answering a series of five questions, which touched on many leadership issues including workplace skills, critical experiences, professional mentors, the importance of volunteer work and skills that are valued in the hiring process.

Pamela Brown, a social worker and site facilitator for Closing the Gap Community School #53, encouraged students to start early on career planning in order to have more time to make educated decisions.

"UB is full of knowledge, skills and so much information," Brown said. "Volunteer at places you are interested in to find out if you want to work there."

Students in attendance found the seminar to be very helpful.

"I thought it was interesting," said Kelley Dunnigan, a freshman pharmacy major. "It was nice to hear how they became successful and how they got to where they are."

Meredith Margolis, a sophomore business major, also found the seminar to be helpful. According to Margolis, the information presented from the panel will help her both in making her career choices and during the interview and application process when she applies for different positions.

"The panelists were thorough in their answers," Margolis said. "The information they gave me is something that I can use throughout my lifetime."