As the members of the Class of 2011 settle into their final year at Notre Dame, the senior class officers and the Career Center have collaborated to present this year's Senior Class Kickoff.
The event, which will be held today in Stepan Center, features a free barbecue, that includes a vegetarian option on request, a cash bar with beer and wine, a special appearance by Notre Dame athletics and numerous outdoor games including beach volleyball, horseshoes and cornhole.
In addition, seniors who attend the event and register with the Career Center will be able to enter their name into a prize drawing for a chance to win a 32-inch Samsung LCD TV, assorted Notre Dame apparel and Notre Dame football tickets, among other prizes.
Cath Flynn, senior class vice president, said the main goal of the event is to reunite members of the senior class before the school year gets into full swing.
"We hope the event will bring friends together and pump everyone up for a great year as we grace campus for our last year together," Flynn said.
While the most obvious purpose of the event is socializing with classmates, the Kickoff also provides seniors with an opportunity to meet advisors from the Career Center and begin networking for all postgraduate opportunities, including careers, graduate school and service opportunities.
"We want to give seniors a heads up about things that are happening this fall related to career planning," Anita Rees, an associate director of the Career Center, said. "We are also excited about this year because there are small signs that the postgraduate opportunity search may be a little easier this year."
Seniors will have several networking opportunities available to them at the Kickoff, including meeting representatives from the event's six corporate sponsors: KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Accenture, General Mills, Ernst & Young and Raytheon.
In addition to corporate networking opportunities, Mike Hebbeler of the Center for Social Concerns will have information for seniors about postgraduate service opportunities.
According to Flynn and Rees, both the senior class and the Career Center are looking forward to the event because it would not have been possible without the help of each group. Both groups also anticipate working together in the future.
"The Career Center looks forward to working with the Class of 2011 wherever their careers take them," Rees said.
