April 19, 2023
Meghan O'Toole
Networking in Chicago: Lake Forest College's In The Loop Mixer makes a strong return
The In The Loop Mixer is back after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Foresters connected at the event in Chicago’s iconic Loop in the Bank of America Building on Thursday, April 13.
The In The Loop Mixer brought together over 150 students, alumni, employer partners, and other dedicated Chicago-area professionals for an evening of Forester networking and career-focused conversation. Attendees enjoyed a beautiful 80-degree spring evening.
Politics and sociology and anthropology double major Hayley Headley ’24 found that the event not only connected her to internship opportunities, but also shaped her outlook on her future past graduation.
“I am actually feeling more confident in my ability to land a job after graduation and more confident about where my career path is going after seeing alumni thriving in the field,” she said.
This event is an opportunity for Foresters and friends to celebrate internship and career success of students and young alumni as well as to learn more about the College’s residential In The Loop and ACTIVATE programs and the Gorter Family Career Advancement Center. The gathering also allows the College to thank all alumni and employer partners for their career mentorship and support.
Events such as this are part of the College’s commitment to career support, and they contribute to the outstanding 97.4% post-graduate placement rate for the Class of 2022.
Alumnus Andrew Palmer ’16, who studied finance at the College, was also in attendance.
“Events like the Loop Mixer are great opportunities to catch up with friends from our college years, access the next generation of talent, and share the stories of our individual career paths,” Palmer said. “My first job out of undergrad was obtained through alumni networking at a Homecoming tailgate, so whenever possible I try to pay it forward—as Foresters do.”
Students and professionals networked within their Career Pathways at color-coded networking tables that helped them connect with members of their community with similar career interests.
Vice President for Career Advancement and Athletics Jackie Slaats expressed her gratitude for the Forester Network, which the event highlighted.
“We simply couldn’t do the good work we do in educating our students or career planning and placement without the dedicated professionals in our Forester Network,” Slaats said. “Their continued engagement with the College and the myriad of ways they help our students in their careers continue to be an immeasurably important and distinctive aspect of a Lake Forest education.”
President Jill Baren provided opening remarks. Sally Booy, a friend of the College and former assistant basketball coach who now volunteers as a Forester career mentor and works at Bank of America, played a key role in coordinating the event.
In 2022, Lake Forest College ranked fourteenth for Best Schools for Internships by The Princeton Review and second for Social Mobility in U.S. News and World Report. Networking with the Forester community in and beyond Chicago helps students acquire career-making internships and job opportunities that help shape their futures.
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