Tulane University students will have the opportunity to meet with around 200 industry professionals in New York and 50 in Washington, D.C. and Chicago to network and discuss potential job or internship opportunities Oct. 10-11 during the annual Tulane Takeover event.

Tulane Takeover was created in 2015 to help connect Tulane alumni with Tulane students to provide them with networking opportunities. This year there will be representatives from a wide variety of well-known companies, including Goldman Sachs, Google, Tyson Foods and the WWE.

“These events are open to all students across all years and all schools,” Byron Kantrow Slosar, director of the Career Wave Program at Tulane, said. “There are just as many opportunities for liberal arts, science and engineering, public health [majors] as there are traditional business opportunities. But we really do put a lot of effort into making sure that we have a great variety of companies, professionals, opportunities that can be taken advantage of by a second-semester senior or a first-semester freshman.” 

These events are held during fall and spring breaks. The location of the event depends on the interests of the students and location of alumni.

In addition to networking opportunities for internships and full-time job positions, the event will feature professionals who will discuss their career paths and offer advice to students. While not all of the attendants are Tulane alumni, all have a relationship with Tulane. 

“I would say 90% of the room are alumni, and the recruiting professionals that we do have there still come from Tulane-originated relationships, Kantrow Slosar said. “And so for example, we’ll have Theory which is the fashion retailer [in New York], the CEO is a Tulane parent that has sent a recruiter to the event on his behalf.”

In preparation for these events, students are encouraged to read through the “How to Prepare” on the Tulane Takeover website and reach out to professionals who are attending when the list is released a week prior to the event.

Kantrow Slosar has also helped many students prepare for the events in order to capitalize on the opportunity to engage with many industry professionals. 

 “I’ve been doing a lot of work with Byron, and he’s really helped me out with my résumé, and he’s set me up with different contacts who are going to be at the event. I’m really looking forward to speaking to some of the people I’ve been messaging online,” junior and engineering physics major Max Kerensky said.

Owing to Tulane Takeover’s success with connecting students and alumni since its establishment, there are now plans for a significant expansion of the program in the spring.

“Over spring break we are doing New York again, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Nashville, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver,” Kantrow Slosar said. “The new markets for us this year will be Seattle, Denver, Nashville, Boston and Atlanta. So we’re adding five new ones this year.”

Many students have expressed excitement for the Tulane Takeover events. The convenience of these events being scheduled over breaks allows them to have a productive as well as relaxing break. 

“I’m from New York, I have a lot of family in D.C., and I was planning on going home for fall break anyway,” senior Christina Krisberg said. “And it was just a really good opportunity because I am graduating to network and stuff like that, and because I have family I’m able to stay with them and not have to pay for hotels and since I was buying a flight it just made sense to do something productive with my fall break.”