The management club hosted Mike Strug to speak about networking in one’s professional
career.
ANDREW NARINE / COURTESY
Ariana Cariddo, Staff Writer
Manhattan University’s (MU) management club hosted an event titled “Build Your Network: Mike Strug at MU” on Thursday, Oct. 15 from 2:30-3:30 P.M. at MU’s O’Malley School of Business (OMSB). The event welcomed Mike Strug, a commercial real estate professional with more than 27 years of industry experience.
Strug works with Vanadium Group and is the founder and president of Young Real Estate Professionals of New York (YREPNY), an organization focused on connecting professionals in the real estate industry. Beyond his work in commercial real estate, Sturg is passionate about mentoring college students and young professionals as they begin their careers.
In recent years, he has mentored or spoken to more than 1,800 undergraduate and graduate students and has appeared as a guest speaker at more than 50 colleges and universities since the start of 2020.
During his visit to MU, Strug spoke about his career and how he was originally from Texas but found his way to New York City. There, he first wanted to be a professor, but through internships and networking, made his way into real estate and finance. Drawing from his own experiences, Strug emphasized that professional growth does not stop after graduation, remaining open to new opportunities can lead to unexpected career paths.
“School is just the pregame,” Strug said. “And then you go into the workforce, but you’re still learning and growing. You’re going to move around a lot over your career, but that’s a good thing.”
Beyond starting his own career journey, Strug highlighted the importance of helping students prepare for life after graduation. Through his work mentoring young professionals, he hopes to help students recognize that career paths are not always going to be linear, and building relationships can open doors to new opportunities.
“It’s all about trying to find networks,” Strug said. “For example, MU is a network, or the club you’re a part of is also a network. Networks help you expand and open job opportunities for you.”
For students, Strug’s advice offered them a perspective on how they can begin developing their professional career and start building connections before graduating. The event also gave students the opportunity to reflect on who is in their network, and decide how to begin using it as a resource.
Anam Rameez, junior accounting major, attended the event and found the advice Strug gave to be very useful and fulfilling to her career goals. Strug’s emphasis on networking and building professional relationships offered her a fresh perspective on preparing for her future.
“I really like what he said about professional networking for real estate and connecting with students,” Rameez said. “Through them, I can make more connections with people.”
While Rameez emphasized the importance of networking, Kevin O’Keeffe, senior accounting major who also attended the event, appreciated Strug’s message about remaining open to change throughout one’s career.
“I like how he said our career isn’t going to be set in stone right now, and we can expect change, because we are so young and life is going to keep going and switching,” O’Keeffe said.
As students prepare for internships and careers after graduation, connecting with professionals in their fields can help them learn about potential opportunities and gain a better understanding of their chosen industries.
Through events like “Build Your Network,” the management club provides students with opportunities to engage with professionals and explore ways to develop their careers beyond the classroom.
The management club’s Instagram, @managementclub_mu, is set to share updates with events to come for any Jaspers interested in exploring the world of business.