A constant attraction for the Sinclair faithful every year is the Sinclair Talks series, hosted by the Student and Community Engagement office. Speakers from inside and outside the college cover a wide variety of topics relevant to students both young and old.
These can range from information about scholarships, advice for struggling students, live poetry readings, intimate discussions about social issues and puppies on campus.
The Spring 2019 slate of events also includes the launch of a new program, the “Sinclair Talks Passport.” Students attending talks will get a passport that gets stamped during the presentation.
Students that attend five or more Sinclair Talks (and get their passports stamped) will be eligible to win a variety of prizes (including Sinclair themed t-shirts, glasses and more TBD) all semester long.
While there are a plethora of these events going on throughout the semester, there are five topics in particular that are designated as Featured Sinclair Talks. These include a block of speakers talking about a connected topic. All of these presentations will take place on the stage in building 8.
The first of these, called “The Art of Networking” happens on Feb. 6. It will go from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and include a demonstration on how to make the most out of LinkedIn, a tool many businesses use to contact and scout potential employees.
Zachary Beck, a presenter who has been a keynote speaker at many universities, conferences and organizations on the subject, plans on teaching students how to use this tool to their advantage and become more effective at networking.
In the second part of the presentation, professor Anita Gilkey and community member Jocelin Dean of The Dayton Club discuss the value of networking and offer their own advice on where the best places to network are.
The next featured Sinclair Talks, “Stress Less” takes place on Feb. 28 from 12-1:30 p.m.
Amy Gibson will teach attendees about various stress related issues such as compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, emotional stress and burnout. She will show students different methods to identify these issues, break the cycle they create and discover ways to cope.
Anyone who has ever worked in a performance medium or even had to present information in front of a class may have experienced a form of stage fright, and Tom Roberts will propose ways to recognize and overcome it in the second part of this talk.
On March 19 from 12-1:30 p.m. the next part of this series, “Women in Leadership,” will be presented.
It will begin with professor Gilkey and Jenell Ross, President of The Bob Ross Auto Group, describing the trials and tribulations of being a female, minority business leader.
The second part will be presented by SSG (Staff Sergeant) Gore-Pike and the Veteran Services office as Gore-Pike shares details on how the Army has transformed her leadership skills to better herself in both her military career and civilian life.
April 4, will host “Career Day,” a series of talks from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. where Sinclair departments share information on the future of students following graduation.
First, Jennifer Spegal discusses new degrees and certificates offered to health sciences majors looking to work a non-traditional healthcare career.
Veteran Services then will hold a demonstration of the experiences of Sinclair students, faculty and staff from each branch of the military.
After this, John Wilson will help students explore the new avenues of accounting careers. This includes start-up high tech companies that are providing remote services to small businesses, and are hiring work from home accountants.
Students attending this workshop could potentially use this information to their benefit at the Career & Transfer Fair on April 10.
Finally, the last Featured Sinclair Talks “Sexual Assault Awareness,” takes place on April 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April is Sexual Assault Awareness month, which will also include activities for the Green Dot campaign.
Nadine Cichy will start the festivities by explaining how sexual assault is an issue faced by men as well as women. She will speak on the impact these acts have on men.
Following this, Carol Glaser-Atkins will take the stage and educate students on what Title IX means, the assistance it offers, how and when to report issues and the resources available to students.
Tristan Chaput, Coordinator of Student Engagement, is excited for students to attend these events and learn more about their community and beyond.
“We have many experts within our community that are eager to share their knowledge,” Chaput said. “By attending Sinclair Talks students, faculty and staff are able to learn about subjects they are passionate about and discover new topics of interest. They also help all of us discover the many ways the Sinclair community is here to support students throughout their Sinclair journeys.”
Henry Wolski
Executive Editor