Jayhawks make their homes and careers in every corner of the country, and the annual Kyou Networking Week helps birds of a feather continue to flock together, no matter where they nest.
In August, Kyou Networking Week—now in its eighth year—united alumni through 13 events in 11 cities, including St. Louis; Chicago; Dallas; New York City; Omaha, Nebraska; Portland, Oregon; and The Villages, Florida. About 300 Jayhawks attended across all locations.
Organized by local alumni volunteers, the gatherings took the form of morning coffee meetups or post-workday happy hours, each with the common goal of strengthening the one-of-a-kind bond among Jayhawks.
“We had some familiar faces and some new ones, including a few alumni who have been living in the Dallas area for over 20 years but have never made it to an event,” Reid Leonard, b’15, says of the gathering in Dallas on Aug. 4 at Bar W. “The group is excited for KU football to start—a few will be at the Border Showdown, and others at the game in London.”
Jon Brubaker, c’05, says the Aug. 5 Kyou Networking Week happy hour in New York City, hosted at Mary’s on the Lower East Side, was a lively launch to a lineup of upcoming get-togethers.
“Our NYC networking gathering brought together longtime New Yorkers and recent transplants, with conversation ranging from career paths to commuting strategies to, of course, the outlook for the basketball team,” Brubaker says. “We’re planning a more formal professional networking and career development event for the second half of the year, and are looking forward to kicking off the watch parties for football and basketball.”
Kyou Networking Week is one of several programs of the Jayhawk Career Network that collectively aim to support Jayhawks’ success at every stage of their careers. Resources and opportunities include KU Mentoring+, the University’s online hub for mentoring, networking and professional opportunities, and Mocktails & Mingle, a slate of student-centered, in-person networking events held throughout the academic year.
Want to connect with fellow Jayhawks at future networking and social events in your area? Check out KU Alumni’s Networks & Groups page for information on regional networks, affinity groups and official KU watch parties. Interested in organizing a meetup for fellow Jayhawks in your neck of the woods? Visit KU Alumni’s Volunteer page to get started.
