The panel discussion on Nov. 8 in Brooklyn included how to switch pace from full-time employment to independent consultancy and other topics.
On Nov. 8, the Elon New York City Alumni chapter partnered with TALEA Beer Co. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to host a four-person panel discussion surrounding career change.
Over 60 alumni gathered to listen from a panel of four Elon alumni – Samantha Feher ’18, Tyler Oberle ’18, Margaret Padillo ’11 and Suraj Minisandram ’18 – share their personal stories and advice on navigating a career change.
Attendees participated by coming to the first-ever Brooklyn alumni event, as well as by tuning via the Elon NYC Alumni Instagram page. 
During this event, alumni connected through a meaningful conversation about career changes, including how to switch pace from full-time employment to independent consultancy. The featured panelists represented various professional experiences including theater, marketing, media and tech.
The panel was hosted and moderated by Kanree Wright, Elon NYC Alumni Professional Development chair.
In addition to the panel, alumni also received a business card holder and the chance to win special giveaways to help their professional careers including Elon alumni Cate LeSourd’s new book “Coming of Age: Our Journey into Adulthood,” two 30-minute sessions with career coach Janel Abrahami, and one-on-one support from the Student Professional Development Center with Ross Wade, senior associate director of career services in the School of Communications.
The Panelists
Samantha Feher ’18 is a brand strategist and social media consultant based in New York. After graduating from Elon, she began her career in editorial at Cosmopolitan magazine, later working in-house at Cynthia Rowley to help scale the business’s digital presence and operations. Now she freelances for various tech, fashion, lifestyle and editorial brands to reach new audiences and realize growth potential.
Tyler Oberle ’18 has a background in theater and film. Freelancing as a videographer for four years before moving to New York, he produced immersive theater and worked in Broadway management until the pandemic shook things up. Now in the advertising world, Oberle continues to enjoy crafting unique experiences and working to live rather than living to work.
Margaret Padillo ’11 graduated with a bachelor’s degree in strategic communications and a double minor in business and Spanish. After graduating, Padillo started her professional career in marketing but knew something was missing. She explored everything from the medical field, architecture and zoology in search of her next career step until she stumbled across user experience design. Padillo has been in the UX field since 2016 and now works as an interaction designer at Google, helping users discover and adapt new ways to use Google Assistant in their daily lives.
After graduating from Elon in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in media analytics and a minor in Asian Studies, Suraj Minisandram ’18 made his way to Chicago and spent two years working as a media planner at Starcom. After moving back home for a year during COVID, he moved to New York to begin his current role working in marketing and sales for TIME.
For more information on upcoming events, community engagement and career resources, connect with the Elon NYC Alumni group on Instagram. The latest job postings will be posted to the group’s LinkedIn page by alumni within the network.
Details on a January 2022 event will be released in the coming weeks.