The International Student Organization held an insightful event to provide students with essential professional development. The event featured two presentations that emphasized the power of personal branding and LinkedIn networking.

The first discussion, led by Terry Damron, focused on the how-to of effectively branding oneself.

“You are a brand, whether you know it or not,” said Damron.

Through Damron’s lesson, students understood how to make good impressions when meeting people and managing professional and personal relationships.

Another topic covered was communication through online versus offline. Damron advised that students be aware of how text messages can be perceived compared to face-to-face interactions and urged attendees always to assume good intentions when coming into light conflict. A tip given to students was to be curious in debates rather than defensive, ask questions to gain further understanding of the perspective and engage in active listening.

“No one likes conflict, but we must reframe how we see it. Conflict is how we gain depth in a relationship,” said Damron.

Following this presentation, Stephanie Bilderback took the stage to guide students through LinkedIn— a business-focused social media platform popular with industry professionals.

Bilderback’s presentation stressed LinkedIn’s potential to develop one’s professional network and keep up with industry trends and job options.

She walked students through LinkedIn’s features and discussed the importance of engaging with content from employers and industry peers. Students were encouraged to post their content, be bold and connect with other professionals to build a tight-knit network.

Through these two presentations, this ISO event gave students practical skills for exploring their professional journeys.