By Danielle Manning, CES Career Advisor

Danielle is Puget Sound’s new Career Advisor. Although this is her first ASK Night, she’s well-versed in the awesome alumni who will be in attendance and can help you connect with alums who match your interests. Here are a few of her suggestions…

This year’s ASK Night on October 24th has an outstanding lineup of alumni who are coming to campus to talk with you! Meet over 40 Puget Sound alums who graduated between 1961 and 2013, who are all eager to share tidbits of wisdom, advice, and their career stories with you.

You can chat with attorneys, consultants, and professionals representing the communication, healthcare, technology, education and social service fields. This is a great opportunity to ask about current trends, professional organizations, or day-to-day life spent working in these areas.

If you aren’t particularly drawn to one of these fields, consider talking with alumni about how their Puget Sound degree has impacted their career path. How have their majors and minors influenced their careers? Choose from Biology, Business, Music Education, Philosophy, Mathematics, English, Theater Arts, Computer Science, Geology, International Political Economy, Psychology, Physics, and more.

Plus, life is full of surprises. Your career path can go in numerous directions. Truly, the possibilities are endless…

Entrepreneurial? Meet Amy VanZandt ’06, Theater Arts major, who owns her own counseling business. Or Ryan Cunningham ’05, International Political Economy major, who’s the lead for Product Design and Marketing for startup company OneOcean. Sunshine Morrison ’94 has worked on Food Network segments and even started a boutique PR agency. And Philip N. Jones, Jr. ’67, Music Education major, taught music for 5 years before switching to real estate.

Media Mavens: Seek out David Watson ’92, who built and ran Disney Channel and ABC.com websites and most recently, worked at Netflix. And don’t miss Ethan Chung ’04, Deputy Editor with Premier Media Group.

Outdoor Enthusiasts, Environmentalists, or Rock Hounds may want to chat it up with Kyle Thackray ’12, who works for Cascade Designs; Robin Fay ’07, whose work experience includes the Nature Conservancy and the American Farmland Trust; and Burt Clothier ’90, who is a Principal Hydrogeologist with local consulting firm Robinson Noble, Inc.

Health Savvy: Connect with Tory Gildred ’02, who works for Group Health, has been a non-profit consultant, and has even worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Also, Jamilia Sherls ’05 is the Community Outreach Liaison at MultiCare Health System; Don Theophilus ’83, is the President and Chief Development Officer at Swedish Medical Center Foundation; and Erica Esher ’02 is a Family Physician.

Internationally Bound: Neurosurgeon, Juanita Celix ’92 and Peace Corps Regional Supervisor, Erin Carlson ’04 both served in the Peace Corps. And Matt Stevens, ’06 worked in India for 6 months.

Considering Graduate or Professional School? Find your way to Alyssa Hagmann ’99 M.A. Marriage and Family Therapy, Aaron Fung ’04 MBA, Chris Harland ’05 PhD. Physics, and Ben Allen ’02 JD (Law).

For more details and alumni profiles, view the complete list of participants. Or visit CES in Howarth 101—we’re happy to help you identify alumni to connect with at ASK Night. We look forward to seeing you there!

Join Danielle Thursday, Oct. 17 for her program “Networking 101: ASK Night and Beyond!”

© 2013 Career and Employment Services, University of Puget Sound
Image: Kris Hay