Alumni offer career advice, networking opportunities and real-world insights to undergraduates.
(Courtesy of Touro) More than 20 Lander College for Men (LCM) alumni returned to their alma mater for the school’s annual Alumni Dinner Series. Over the course of three evenings, current students engaged with professionals from a variety of fields, gaining first-hand insight into career paths they could follow one day.
Each dinner focused on a distinct profession, including medicine, dentistry, law, finance, actuarial science, psychology, accounting, Jewish education, technology and more. The returning alumni shared their experiences, challenges and lessons learned. They fielded a broad range of questions, offering practical advice and personal anecdotes that resonated with the students.
The real estate dinner provided students with key insights into the diverse opportunities within the industry. Yehuda Neuman, a capital markets analyst and debt underwriter for Paradigm Commercial Real Estate (CRE), spoke about the importance of developing strong technical skills.
“For anyone entering this field, it’s crucial to develop a robust understanding of financial analysis and capital markets — these skills not only distinguish you from your peers, but are also pivotal for long-term success in CRE,” Neuman said. “You should focus on mastering these technical areas, using the wealth of resources available and seeking guidance from mentors. Alongside industry common sense, these skills are often the key differentiators in a successful real estate career.”
Sophomore Mordechai Cywiak shared, “It was very interesting to learn about the different fields in the real estate industry and about the day-to-day projects each of the alumni work on. They gave us a diverse perspective on the industry and brought together the networking with the data analytical side of the business.”
At the dinner focused on computer science, Joshua Horowitz, a software engineer at IBM, spoke about the dual importance of technical expertise and interpersonal skills.
“I discussed balancing interpersonal skills and creating genuine connections with people, with working on technical skills and ensuring that we are always learning and honing our knowledge and abilities,” Horowitz said. “Of course, I also discussed the emergence of AI and how to utilize these new technologies while remaining vigilant in maintaining our individualized skills as emerging software engineers.”
For those considering a career in medicine, the alumni speakers shared their journeys through medical school and residency. Dr. Naftali Stern, a psychiatry resident at Westchester Medical Center, highlighted his key takeaways.
“We told the students how well LCM prepared us for medical school and the importance of exploring different clinical settings before committing to pursuing this career path,” he said. “We also talked about what it takes to be a more well-rounded applicant — balancing strong academics with meaningful and diverse experiences. “And we talked about how many of us were able to learn daily; many even did Daf/Amud Yomi while not compromising our medical education.”
The alumni dinner series has proved to be an invaluable learning and networking experience for LCM undergraduates, and as in previous years, several students felt a renewed sense of motivation and a clearer understanding of their professional goals.
“The alumni gave us an extremely valuable insight into what life is like in specific professions of interest to us,” said Idan Malka, who attended both the finance and real estate dinners and is expected to graduate in 2027. “This event provided me with an opportunity to connect and grow my network. One of the most valuable things I learned about was the work-life balance in different industries.”
Beyond learning about career opportunities, the dinners also reinforced the bonds between LCM graduates and current students. And it increased the likelihood that in a few years, the undergraduates will return to present advice of their own to the next generation of students.
