News

Kyou Networking Week connects Jayhawks nationwide

October 16, 2023

The 5th annual Kyou Networking Week was the biggest yet, with over 300 alumni getting together to make connections with Jayhawks in their local network.

The week featured 18 career-focused events across 16 cities, with Jayhawks of all ages invited to connect over career conversations.

“I think what stands out to me the most about Denver’s event was the wide range of ages who attended,” says Lindsay Barnett, j’07. “We had folks in every state of their career – new jobs, old jobs, recently laid off and looking, and retired. I exchanged either phone numbers or LinkedIn accounts with at least five new people. Not only was the happy hour fun, but it definitely served a purpose!”

Kyou Networking Week is one of many programs of the Jayhawk Career Network, which gives students and alumni access to career resources, jobs, events, programming and connections at every stage of their career.

The week of connection also led to eight new network volunteers, including Laura Clark, j’05, organizing an event in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“We had a group of about a dozen Jayhawks ranging from the class of 1970 to the class of 2022 get together for our happy hour,” says Clark. “We chatted about where we lived during undergrad, which watering holes we frequented, and bonded over working on campus, graduating from the same schools, and countless fun stories from The Hill. There was so much warmth in our connections, both personal and professional, and we’re already looking forward to our next meet-up, a watch party!”

If you are interested in seeing more KU Alumni events in your area, visit kualumni.org/volunteers to learn how to be a volunteer.

Network volunteer Lucas Snyder, d’19 shared how the Chicago network brings alumni together.

“The Chicago event at Theory was a testament to how tight-knit our Chicago Jayhawks group is,” says Snyder. “Kyou Networking week provided alums an opportunity to reflect on each other’s time on the hill as well as how KU has impacted their journeys to where they are today. I enjoyed hearing how current and past work experiences overlap across industries and seeing fellow Jayhawks encourage each other to achieve their goals.”

“Kyou Networking Week is a great opportunity to showcase how the KU Alumni Association and our networks across the country can help YOU. By partnering with our volunteers to host 18 events in 16 networks, Jayhawks everywhere were able to see the power of the Jayhawk Network at work. So many KU Alumni have a great personal story of how a KU connection helped move their life forward in some way, these events are designed to provide an opportunity for every Jayhawk to ignite a life-changing connection.”

Nick Kallail, d’04, l’07

Assistant Vice President of Volunteer Engagement & Networks, KU Alumni Association