One thing I’ve found I can always count on from other Boothies is finding creative ways to connect. Of course, the pandemic presented challenges for meeting other students, but once things started opening up, I was happy to find that Booth students are never out of ideas for how to meet new people. Here are some of the fun ways I was able to see other students:
BYOF Dinner
Many of us are familiar with BYOB (bring-your-own-booze), but even better than going to an event that is BYOB, is going to an event that is BYOF, or bring-your-own-friend. I can’t take credit for this idea, but a couple of my friends at Booth wanted to get together for dinner as Chicago began opening up. In the spirit of meeting new people, we all decided that we would each bring someone that the others had not met before, so we’d all have a chance to meet new people. As we went around the table introducing ourselves, everyone was warm, friendly, and thrilled to meet each other. There’s truly nothing better than good food, a glass of wine, and a fantastic and welcoming group of people.
Women’s Golf Day
Through the #boothwomen Slack channel, I saw that a friend of mine had posted that they were interested in taking golf lessons and wanted to see who else was interested in joining. Having never taken a golf lesson before, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to learn golf in a low-stakes, supportive environment. Apparently, many others thought the same, and signed up for the lesson. Even though it was the middle of May the weather was terrible that day, but that did not stop us. We showed up for the lesson, bundled in our rain jackets and ready to go. Weather aside, it was a fantastic time, where I got to meet new Boothies and learn to play golf (or at least swing the club) for the first time with them.
Unofficial Whiskey Club
Even though I was headed to Beam Suntory (the spirits company) for my summer internship, I have to admit that my whiskey knowledge was a bit lacking. When I was invited to a night where I would learn about different whiskies, and get to taste a selection as well, I was thrilled! While in attendance, I got to spend time with Boothies I had just met, hear their excitement as they taught me about different whiskies, and taste the difference between the many options. One thing I love about Boothies is that they never hold back in sharing their passions and coming up with creative ways to spend time with their fellow Boothies.
