On Thursday, September 15, the first of five Guest Professional Dinners to be featured this semester took place in the South End dining hall. Omar Haedo, president of ELAN Solutions, Inc. spoke to a group of about 50 students about his career path as a health insurance expert and entrepreneur.
The Guest Professional Dinners have been sponsored by the Vocational Center and Career Advisement Office (VOCA) since the spring of 2014. The events have included speakers from various professions, many of them Houghton graduates. “The goal of the dinners is to expand students’ view of the working world,” said VOCA director Kim Pool. She said, “The [speakers] share the story of their vocational journey exposing students to real-life issues, [and] opportunities.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Haedo has had an extensive career in management, insurance sales, and employee benefits over a period of nearly 30 years. After studying for two years at Houghton College (‘83-’85), Haedo completed his education at the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, graduating summa cum laude in 1987. With his varied resume behind him, Haedo now holds an executive position and claims expertise in his field.
Yet it was Haedo’s perspective on faith and work that made an impression on Robert Kuchar ‘17, who attended the dinner. Haedo, who was “very enthusiastic” spoke on “how to live a Christ-filled life in the context of the business field and entrepreneurship,” even including references to Scriptures which apply to the difficulties business professionals face on the job, Kuchar said.
Kuchar went to several Guest Professional Dinners before, beginning in his freshman year. “The motivation to attend this particular dinner was getting extra credit for Financial Accounting,” he admitted. However he said, “I would recommend the dinners to anyone who has an interest in meeting people who have gained real world experience and desires to share the lessons they learned.” Kuchar continued, “Even if you are not a business or accounting major.”
On student feedback regarding the Guest Professional Dinners, Pool noted, “We have heard from students that [the dinners] have helped them think about careers that weren’t on their radar and that they have provided them with ideas of where they can put their skills and knowledge to use.”
Professionals with stories of trial and faith have also been a hit with students. “We have also heard that it is helpful to hear real life stories that include bumps and snags along the way, yet hearing the recurring message of how God has been faithful in each [speaker’s] life,” Pool said.
Of course, the opportunity for personal connection is also appreciated by students. Kuchar left the dinner in high spirits, saying, “[Haedo] was very encouraging to me as we discussed my interest in video production. Both his message and chatting with him afterward gave me more of an interest in the possibility of doing a video production startup and insights into how my faith plays into that.”
Pool encouraged students to attend at least one of the remaining five Guest Professional Dinners: “Log in to Handshake to check out the line-up and register!”