On the afternoon of February 19, Marsh Botanical Garden at 265 Mansfield Street was the balmy setting of a career networking event for Yale staff interested in growing their careers in myriad ways. The gathering, sponsored by Human Resources, was the premier event for It’s Your Yale—Grow, an initiative focused on highlighting career development resources at Yale.
Upon their arrival, attendees quickly thawed out from sub-zero temperatures outside with an “ice breaker” activity that had everyone exploring Marsh’s beautiful botanical treasures and becoming quickly acquainted with one another. Teams of two searched for plant stakes hidden among the foliage that read “performance management”, “Managing at Yale”, and other career-development terms. Once the stakes were located, participants marked down the corresponding plant names on a “bingo” card. Six lucky prize winners were awarded one-hour career coaching sessions with a professional career coach at Yale.
Presenting at the event was Chief Diversity Officer Debbie Stanley-McAulay, who inspired the crowd to “bloom where you are planted” by stretching yourself in different directions on the job and through networking. Also on hand were YAAA’s James Rawlins of ITS, who candidly spoke about strategizing one’s career plan. LGBTQ’s Daniel Cress, Drama School, emphasized the power of mentoring and advised attendees to seek out a guide with greater experience than themselves to help them get from good to great.
Photos by Alaina Pritchard, Office of Public Affairs and Communications