A conversation with Ariola Bardhi and Mike Veenstra, the co-founders of INet NYC.

Words by Anna Pimenova and Jessica Sharrock
Edited by Jessica Sharrock
 
Helena Schnell and Anna Amelianchik sat down with Ariola and Mike to discuss all things INet NYC. 
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Ariola and Mike both completed their PhDs at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and are now work as consultants at ClearView Healthcare Partners and IQVIA Consulting Services, respectively. In this interview, we learn about their determination to unite international scientists in New York in a community that allows them to thrive.
 
How did INet NYC start?
After attending a career event during Graduate School, Mike realized that a lot of the information given about successfully obtaining a job after completing a PhD program rarely applied to international scholars due to limitations in visas and work authorization. This problem was further highlighted by the limited experience of invited experts to answer questions raised by foreign students. In October 2014, Ariola and Mike came up with a plan to bridge this gap and pitched the idea of starting an international networking group to Yaihara Fortis Santiago (at the time, the Science Alliance Program Manager at The New York Academy of Sciences, NYAS), who acknowledged the need for such a group and fully supported the idea.
 
The first few months comprised of a lot of hard work to get the organization off the ground, identifying the main needs of the scientific community and coming up with event ideas that were specifically tailored to those needs. At first progress was slow, but soon Ariola and Mike recruited other like-minded students and formed the INet NYC executive board to support international scientists in New York. A survey of international scientists in NYC carried out by INet NYC showed that there was huge interest in the resources that INet NYC was aiming to provide for the community and from here INet NYC began to network and plan events around the city.  From day one, INet NYC has had continual support from the NYAS, which has led to the organization of numerous international-oriented events together including ‘Career Fair for Scientists’, ‘Non-Academic Career Tracks for International Scientists’ and ‘Immigration Info Session for Advanced Degree Holders in STEM’. Over time, INet NYC has gone on to gain increasing visibility from different Graduate Schools and Postdoctoral Offices in New York leading to increased collaboration, event planning and popularity.
 
How did the experience of running INet NYC help your career?
Running INet NYC taught Ariola and Mike many things, specifically about bringing an idea to life, learning how to network and fundraise efficiently and how to plan each event to be a success. As the awareness and interest in INet NYC grew, the challenges shifted to recruiting the right people who could understand their vision and wanted to take the organization to the next level. While more people became involved in INet NYC, Ariola and Mike also had to transition into more leadership positions, where they focused on managing people, motivating the growing team and dedicating more of their time to think about the bigger picture for INet NYC and the resources they wanted to offer to international scientists. Additionally, having INet NYC on their CVs helped them land offers to advance their careers outside of academia, including consulting internships with BCG, The Solution Lab and numerous job interviews. The wide range of skills they developed helped them to progress professionally and the INet NYC experience was very valuable for them to pursue consulting careers immediately after graduate school. However, the organization aims to help all of their members develop any of the skills they need to land their dream jobs.
 
What did INet NYC bring to your life and what are you most proud of?
Being involved with INet NYC brought Ariola and Mike a great sense of accomplishment, as there were clear goals and a quantifiable output in the number of events held and the people who joined the organization. It didn’t feel like hard work when they could work with fun, hard-working and ambitious people. Since 2014, the number of members has grown to over 900, and the advisory board has been increasingly impressed with the work being done. INet NYC continues to celebrate the diversity of people’s experiences and provides a supportive social network to connect people facing similar challenges on their path to success as international scientists.
 
What do you wish for the future of INet NYC?
The possibilities for INet NYC are enormous and good leaders should envision the organization’s development beyond its current boundaries. INet NYC could potentially become a non-profit organization offering support to international students coming to the US. INet NYC could also help by providing immigration advice, insights into day-to-day living in NYC and offer scholarships. Hired professionals would run these operations, while volunteer students and postdocs would continue to organize social and professional events around the city. INet NYC operations could also be expanded to other cities (including Boston, Chicago and San Diego), providing a similar role to INet NYC. Such expansion could bring the organization to national and potentially international levels in the future. At the national level, a conference could be held yearly to facilitate professional education, networking, and information exchange among international scholars. All these ideas converge on the need to obtain financial support, which may prove difficult from the legal perspective. Nonetheless, INet NYC keeps growing and moving forward because of motivated individuals that are passionate about the goals of INet NYC. As long as there are people willing to volunteer their time because they care about the mission, INet NYC will thrive!
 
Can you share any tips for your success?
Although the work of a graduate student or postdoc is very demanding, it’s important to try to enjoy these years by taking small breaks or engaging in different activities outside the lab. Working over weekends or holidays will not make a difference in the long run, but if you make time for yourself, it will certainly increase your quality of life. Making time for your personal and professional development will be important for your future career path, especially if it is not in academia. Everyone feels pressure to work and has guilt if they do not want to stay in academia, but this should not stop you from exploring all the exciting opportunities New York can offer.
 
We would like to thank Ariola and Mike for taking the time to talk to us about INet NYC.