I recently attended the Global Leadership Networking event put on by the Moran Center for Global Leadership at the Villanova School of Business. This event, hosted in the Curley Exchange of Bartley Hall, was operated with multiple hosts who happily introduced themselves and how the raffle for the event worked. Every student who attended this event was presented with an empty, wallet-sized booklet for the purpose of recording which booths you had visited as you made traveled through the event. I found this aspect of the event to be very interesting and innovative, as it motivated me to approach as many of the stands I could, even if I was not initially intrigued by what they were offering. Along with this motivation, the physical layout of the event also promoted engagement with representatives from each organization offered. It was set up like a convention, with the stands lined against walls of the room and a large area of free space occupying the middle of the room, allowing guests to flow to and from different booths as they wanted. This set up allowed me to speak with almost every group present. In doing so I quickly realized the diverse nature of organizations within the business school and their collective efforts to promote inclusion and equality between students and productive relationships between the different organizations the business school has to offer.

As I made my way around the room, learning about the ideas of many different clubs, I also learned a lot about the students who run these organizations. Almost every upper-classmen I spoke with addressed me with a friendly attitude and a seemingly genuine care for my intentions with the group. This was one of my first networking experiences at Villanova because I had missed the first semester last year. Attending this event helped me make connections and discuss other materials such as what classes to take and what professors I should try to register for.

In addition to the welcoming atmosphere the event possessed, there were additional benefits for those who chose to attend. The hosts offered a variety of food from different regions of the world including Italian, Greek, and Chinese cuisine. If you came to the event for the information, you would have  definitely stayed for the delicious meals they had to offer. On top of the food and beverages, there was an added entertainment aspect of the event. Dancers from different cultures showed off their skills in an impressive expression of their region’s customs. Not only did the food and entertainment add to the overall experience of attending this event, but it furthered the notion that the Villanova School of Business is an inclusive, diverse community looking to provide all of its members with a comfortable place to learn. I would highly advise anyone who reads this to check out the Moran Center for Global Leadership at the following link and get involved!

https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/business/centers/globalleadership.html���

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.