Wake360 Recap from Student Ambassador Jessica Eldridge

Picture it – a weekend filled with networking, career-building opportunities, and inspiring conversations all geared towards today’s working professionals.

That’s exactly what happened at the third annual Wake360 event in Charlotte, North Carolina.

On October 24-25, more than 100 students, alumni, faculty and staff, Program Advisory Board members, and industry leaders gathered together for an immersive weekend to learn, connect, and network.

Jessica Eldridge is in the Master of Digital Marketing program and also served as a student ambassador for the event. In this new role, she provided feedback during the planning process, spoke to prospective students, and promoted the event online. 

This was her second year attending Wake360, and she recapped her five big takeaways of the event: 

1. Continued Growth

This year Wake 360 has grown, and I can tell that it is going to continue to do so in the future. There were so many new faces. I enjoyed all the opportunities for everyone to mingle with each other, building true connections. Several of the students I met last year came back, so it was also truly exciting to catch up with them.

2. Engaging Panel Discussion

Saturday’s panel discussion was very well received. There were so many insightful questions asked during the Q&A sessions that I would’ve never thought of that. Some thought-provoking questions that the panel answered include:

• “How do I improve my capacity to be receptive to feedback?” 
• “How do I become a leader without having to manage a large group, if managing others is not my strength?” 
• “As a leader people look to you for all the answers. So how do you handle situations when you aren’t as well versed in that specific area or you don’t have the answers?” 

I took so many notes during the sessions, and this information will be valuable to me in my career path. 

3. Diverse Perspective for a Range of Topics 

The panel was extremely diverse, allowing differing perspectives and experiences to really be targeted. I also appreciated the range of topics, such as imposter syndrome, the gift of feedback, finding purpose, and developing leadership at all levels regardless of title.

4. Leadership is Not One-size-fits-all

The biggest takeaway is leadership does not have to look a certain way and that most leaders don’t seek to become leaders. Usually leaders are people who influence others through their action and character first and the title or position comes after. 

5. Building Connections for the Future 

Wake 360 is a family affair because everyone is so welcoming and eager to foster genuine connections that go beyond the event. 

Wake360 Fast Facts 

• Attendee who traveled the farthest: Alumni Megan Cook from Corvallis, Oregon  
• Industries represented: Technology & manufacturing, healthcare, finance, communications, retail, and consulting  
• SPS program most well represented: Project Management
• Number of guest speakers in 48 hours: 12 
• Shout out to Cheryl Hancock, recent alumna of the Project Management program at Wake Forest SPS, who returned to participate in a panel discussion for one of the Wake360 workshops