Bethesda FULL ACCESS Student Summit Summary
(Click on the above picture to view a slideshow of this event)
A FULL ACCESS Student Summit was held in Bethesda, Maryland October 3 & 4, 2009. This Summit was graciously sponsored by Lockheed Martin and the HSC Foundation. Additional employers to participate were Bureau of Land Management, Internal Revenue Service, Northrop Grumman, Office of Naval Intelligence, Social Security Administration, SunTrust Banks and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Forty one students represented 20 colleges and universities while attending the Summit. Many of the 41 students took advantage of the resume critiques that were offered during the registration hour.
The Summit officially began with a luncheon which featured our Keynote Speaker, Kareem Dale. Mr. Dale is the Special Assistant to the President on Disability Policy, so all who attended were very interested to hear him share his thoughts on employment and how it relates to persons with disabilities. We were equally excited to welcome Judith Huemann as another distinguished guest. Ms. Heumann is an internationally recognized leader in the disability community and a lifelong civil rights advocate for disadvantaged people. She currently is the Director for the Department on Disability Services for the District of Columbia. Students later had an opportunity to hear presentations on disclosure skills, requesting accommodations, how to transition into the world of work and resources available to them such as Career Gateway. Our dinner program included a dining etiquette training by Mary Jean Billingsley who is a certified etiquette expert from Kansas City. Students and employers alike then enjoyed a relaxing and fun portion of the Summit known as the “Walmart Wii Networking Event.”
The second day of the Summit, as usual, proved to be beneficial for everyone. Two, one hour small group sessions were offered, and students were paired with employers they had ranked in order of their interest. Employers had up to 6 students in each group. The conversation was informal, informational and insightful with the goal of both students and employers coming away with more than they knew at the beginning of the day. After these sessions, a brief wrap-up concluded the Summit.
COSD has employed several methods to stay in touch with these students and employers. It is our goal that relationships are built as a result of the Summit experience.