The Lewis College of Business and Career Services partnered to host the Mocktail Event sponsored by BB&T for professionalism month Wednesday. The Mocktail Event is an event that allows students to network with professionals as practice for the future.

Terri Thompson author, speaker and entrepreneur, was asked to help train students on professional networking.

Several members of the professional community attended the event along with about 40 students.

“The professionals were wonderful to come out and spend their time doing this,” Thompson said.

Thompson started the event by speaking to the students and explaining how the event would be ran. Thompson stressed the importance of networking by saying it is something done throughout an entire career. Thompson said in order to get farther in your career, people must network.

“People get very nervous,” Thompson said. “It’s the second most feared social fear in America: to walk into a room full of strangers and have to start a conversation. So, we are just practicing tonight.”

Career Services director Denise Hogsett has worked with other on campus organization to host Mocktail events. Hogsett said Career Services had hosted a Mocktail event for student athletes that went over very well.

“That’s what we’re all about for Career Services, just helping students understand the work place, how to network, how to make connections so they can then have a job, have a good profession when they graduate,” Hogsett said.

Hogsett said events like these are akin to the classroom experience.

“They are working together; they are learning together,” Hogsett said, “They are learning from their mistakes and also making contacts.”

Graduate student Samuel Buxton was in attendance and said he was looking forward to the educational experience.

“I hope to learn some networking skills and work on professionalism in a casual setting,” Buxton said.

This event served as one of the options students had to choose to receive a professionalism certificate as part of professionalism month.

Cheyenne DeBolt can be contacted at [email protected].