They had the same advisor as students. They both got involved with the Student Association. A SUNY Oswego School of Business degree hangs on each of their walls.

These are pretty strong links for Oswego graduates who accepted those diplomas almost 20 years apart from each other. Andy Drogo '05 and Jim Triandiflou '88 have something else in common: They both returned to campus for the annual School of Business Symposium.

The two-day event features class visits and informal networking opportunities with current students. More than a dozen alumni visited campus Nov. 10 and 11.

"I love the symposium. I think it's a great event," said Drogo, professional services manager for Centive in metropolitan Boston. "People don't realize where an Oswego degree can take you.

"I got the job and it changed my life," he said. "(The symposium) opened the doors for me, so I'd like to do that for other people."

Drogo met his future boss, Triandiflou, as a student at the Business Symposium. He actually turned the offer of an internship with Centive down because of a prior commitment to a health care consultant.

Eventually he joined Triandiflou as an intern and, later, an employee. Centive is a company of about 60 employees, and roughly 10 percent of them are Oswegonians.

"The No. 1 way people get jobs is through networking," said Triandiflou, chief operating officer at Centive.

Events like the symposium and the Oswego Alumni Association's New York City Career Connections in January are great ways to get to know students, said Triandiflou, who places a high value on out-of-classroom experience.

"You're looking for something that tells that life story," he said.

The symposium is only one way to discover those students, said Judy Letvak '83. The Madison Square Garden human resources manager met Shaun Clark '09 through the Alumni Sharing Knowledge, or ASK, program.

That led to a summer-long internship for Clark at the Garden.

"Basically, I never worked in an office setting," said Clark, whose resume previously included a stint in a sporting goods shop and working restaurant kitchens.

"It was just so rewarding to help Shaun with this opportunity," said Letvak, who also participated in the symposium. "I'm just loving being a mentor and being involved with the college."

She recently helped bring Oswego's Experience-Based Learning program in touch with the massive Madison Square Garden internship program. Oswego will join several other New York metropolitan area colleges in a special site visit at the Garden.

Students participating in that program will be able to submit resumes and hear from successful interns who went on to jobs at the sports and entertainment complex.


-- Shane M. Liebler

PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Upper photo: Jim Triandiflou '88 and Andy Drogo '05 visited the School of Business Symposium where they initially met before Drogo came to work with Triandiflou at Centive near Boston.
Lower photo: Shaun Clark '09 and Judy Letvak '83 met through the Oswego Alumni Association ASK program. Letvak, who helped Clark get an internship at Madison Square Garden, also attended this year's School of Business symposium.

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