Fox alum Maria Dicostanzo talks with Prince Nkomo and Steven Nguyen about Combined and ALPFA Philadelphia. (Photo courtesy of the Center for Student Professional Development)
The MBA/MS Networking Breakfast welcomed approximately 40 graduate students and 20 professionals from a wide range of industries. The event took place on Oct. 10 in the Accelerator space of Temple’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute.
Unlike traditional employer panels, the breakfast had no formal speaking portion, allowing students to circulate freely and engage in informal conversations. This format encouraged genuine dialogue and helped students learn more about companies they may not have encountered before.
While organizations like Penn Medicine were familiar to most attendees, others such as Saint-Gobain and Tyndale Company—both headquartered in the Greater Philadelphia region—offered students a glimpse into the world of B2B firms that operate largely outside the consumer spotlight.
These types of events serve a dual purpose: employers raise brand awareness among emerging talent, and students gain insight into industries and roles where Temple graduates have built successful careers.
As Deecha Draw, a digital marketing graduate student with a decade of experience in federal agencies, put it, the breakfast “really showed how far Temple’s reach goes and how eager alumni are to give back.”
Draw connected with Fox alum Maria Dicostanzo, HR people partner at Combined (a Chubb company), who also shared leadership opportunities through ALPFA, the Association of Latino Professionals for America.
“It was refreshing to connect in such an informal, down-to-earth way—it took the pressure out of networking,” Draw said. “It felt like the companies really wanted to get to know us as people.”
Representatives from Solenis, a global provider of water and hygiene solutions, spoke with students about its 12-week graduate internship program based in Wilmington, DE. Talent acquisition reps Derek Studer and Robin Rinaldi emphasized the cross-functional nature of the program, sparking interest among business analytics students like Adnan Shaikh who has an undergraduate degree in commerce and Prince Nkomo who has a background in geology.
Leaders from Ricoh USA, Todd Ahern, vice president of supply chain, and Steve Read, senior director of inventory planning and control, discussed resilient supply chain strategies with students Vedant Patil and Steven Nguyen.
“I truly enjoyed the insightful conversations about supply chain, emerging opportunities and the skills companies are seeking today,” Patil said.
Though Ahern and Read had attended undergraduate-focused events before, this was their first Fox event dedicated to graduate students.
“I had a lot of fun connecting with the students,” Read said. “I’m always amazed at how intelligent, professional and well-spoken the students are at Temple. Now it’s time to go through the new LinkedIn connections!”
Saint-Gobain’s Samantha Todd, university relations and internships manager, and Jasmine Moser, senior compensation analyst and Fox alum, were pleased to meet students whose varied professional backgrounds complemented their MBA studies.
“I met some really enthusiastic students excited to learn about the opportunities within Saint-Gobain, both at our US headquarters in Malvern and around the world,” Todd said.
Cybersecurity and IT auditing students Daniel Akoto-Bamfo, William Yirenkyi and Daniel Osei had the opportunity to speak with Fox alum Silas Adams, chief information security officer at Pep Boys. Drawing on his experience as a Marine and a decade of servant-style leadership, Adams offered advice on leading effective teams in high-stakes environments.
Master of accountancy students Maha Diab, Yichen Sun, Sai’Breah Edwards and Andrew Nguyen were excited to see firms like Premier Group and LG Legacy Group actively recruiting accounting talent.
“The event was super successful; we met some awesome candidates and we look forward to working with them in the near future,” shared Chris Reynolds of Premier Group.
Like many participants, Diab was quick to express her appreciation for the event.
“This event was such a great experience,” she said. “I had meaningful conversations and learned a lot!”
Some attendees, like DeQuan Williams, played dual roles as both student and employer representative. The first-year MBA student and senior operations analyst at SEI, Williams believes the experience will inform both his career path and academic journey.
“I’m thankful for the connections I made across diverse job functions and industries,” he said.