The Leadership Student Association (LSA), in partnership with GenNext, raised $725.02 at their networking event on Wednesday, November 12 for Brant United Way. The event which was hosted by Amin Ali and moderated by Shawn Allen ended up being a successful first event for LSA. The speakers included: Kevin Magee, a network security professional, Sherri Bocchini, CEO of the Brant Community Healthcare System Foundation, Meaghan Bowler, a District Branch Manager at CIBC, Sarah Disher-Neddow, owner of Dairee Delite and Marc Laferriere, a professor at Mohawk College and co-owner of The Brant Advocate.

The speakers discussed the process of networking from; attending the event, breaking the ice, the follow-up tips for young people seeking employment and connecting with professionals in various fields. One of the tips emphasized by Bowler and Laferriere was to ‘treat networking like dating’ by focusing on first impressions and being personable and genuine. Sikander Panag, creator of the event, came up with the idea last year after distributing a survey to leadership students asking what they would like to change. Confidence and communication were two popular subjects. The purpose of the event was to not only to educate students on the importance of networking in business but also in our personal lives. “We are always told about the importance of networking but there isn’t a class on it,” Panag explained.  We need friendships for our personal lives, and we need networking for our business endeavours.