HPU alumni and students
networked at the Hukilau Bar and Grill for the third annual
HPU Professional Mixer on March 5.
“
This is a very important event,” said Corinne Gallardo,
an HPU graduate who works as an office manager for state Senator
Ron Menor. “It’s a great way to share information.
You never can do enough networking.”
“
I like HPU culture,” said Nash Subotic, an HPU alumnus
who now is an agency manager for Guardian, a financial services
firm. “Lots of people in my firm have graduated from HPU,
and I like coming back to these events.”
For Subotic, the event was a great way to recruit potential employees. “I’m
in the people business,” he added. “Working with
intangible items, you need to know how to build relationships
with others in order to be successful. HPU graduates have these
skills.”
“
People come from all over the place to study at HPU,” Subotic
said. HPU students “have an open mind to other cultures
and are able to relate to them.”
Gordon Bruce, who received an M.B.A. from HPU and who is currently
the chief information officer for the City and County of Honolulu,
stressed the importance of networking events like the mixer for
individuals who want to be successful in the workplace.
“
Interacting with others is something people naturally shy away
from,” he said. That makes it hard to develop personal
relationships. “I’d much rather do business with
a friend than a stranger,” Bruce said.
From Canada, Bruce, like Subotic, said “bringing in a non-American
outlook,” is one of the many things he found attractive
about students attending HPU. “With rapid globalization,
getting to learn other cultures is very important.”
Brandi Boatner, graduate student and president of the Communication
Super Club at HPU, also finds such exposure to different cultures
an experience valued by employees.
“
Networking is essential to success in the business world,” Boatner
said. “Going to events like this and joining organizations
is a great way to meet others and get contacts.”
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