On Friday, Feb. 27—an unseasonably warm February morning— a group of students, faculty, and staff departed for Chicago for the first ever School of Global & Public Service (GPS) Networking Day.
The day started when the group arrived in Chicago at 9 a.m., with many people stopping by a few coffee shops on the way to the first location, Elevate. Elevate is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission of helping communities get access to sustainable heat, energy, and water in their homes. The group met with Kayla Creek, Elevate’s Talent Acquisitions Manager. After a quick office tour, different Elevate staff (dubbed “Elevators”) gave presentations about the work they did, from HR to communications and computer science.
After saying goodbye to the Elevators, the group drove to World Business Chicago, where they had lunch with alumni Alex Iseri’11 and Addison Merchut’09. Iseri talked about his experience working with World Business Chicago as their Director of Economic Development, while Merchut talked about his experiences starting his own product development and manufacturing businesses. Both of them highlighted how the experiences they had at Beloit shaped their careers, agreeing that Beloit’s emphasis on communication helped them in the professional world once they finished their undergrad.
After lunch, the group split into two, with the first group going to Urban Growers Collective, and the second group going to the Environmental Law & Policy Center. At the Urban Growers Collective, the first group met with its founder Erika Allen who visited Beloit in the fall as the 2025 Ousley Scholar. Allen was accompanied by two program directors, who helped give a tour of their South Chicago farm, which included goats and organically grown produce.
After departing from the Urban Growers Collective the first group went to the Green Era Campus, a facility that converts food waste into usable soil for growing food. The first group departed again for 401 Michigan Ave., where the alumni reception was held. There were light appetizers and drinks provided, and students got the chance to network with alumni doing real work in their desired field. After productively networking, exchanging LinkedIn details, and business cards, the group of students got back on the bus and headed back home to Beloit, making for an action packed day of learning, but also lots of good food.
The first ever GPS Networking Day proved to be a smashing success, and there are hopes that this will be a staple of the new School of Global & Public Service for years to come.
Featured image: Elliot Ave-Lallemant’27
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