Mary Wagner '19 and the St. Mary’s County Young Professionals (SMYP) are working to keep local young professionals engaged in the community while maintaining social distance during the pandemic.
“SMYP has a great opportunity to let young professionals dive into what St. Mary’s County has to offer them in terms of resources, job opportunities, and things to do. Not just during quarantine time, but also for the future,” Wagner said.
Wagner serves as a board member for the organization and said many of its typical in-person outreach events have transitioned to virtual experiences while Maryland is under a stay-at-home order. Last month the group hosted a virtual happy hour where participants could discuss happenings in the community from different perspectives and bounce ideas off one another. The group also hosts “Rise & Grind” virtual coffee talks featuring a different topic and a guest speaker each week.
“I think that these virtual events are doing really well in both keeping the young professional community connected and keeping them informed about what is going on in the community or even introducing them to something that they’ve not yet heard about.”
For community engagement, the SMYP has helped local restaurants by distributing, through social media, a food truck list letting the community know where they can support their favorite restaurants that have food trucks throughout the week.
Wagner, who works for Visit St. Mary’s MD said she joined the young professionals group shortly after graduation from St. Mary’s College.
“Being a part of this group has helped me be more involved in the community and has shown me different resources and different aspects of the county.”
For more information on the St. Mary’s Young Professionals, visit them on Facebook.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland is proud of our alumni who are making an impact during these uncertain times. The College would love to share these stories with the community. If you have a story to share or an alum you know has a story to share, please fill out the COVID-19 Alumni Impact Story Collection Form.
