Westminster Hosts Its Annual Etiquette Dinner

Pictured above: Toasting with sparkling grape juice to a job well done in putting on a successful etiquette dinner are Student Assistants from the Center for Career Development. Left to right: Pretty Quarcoopome; Abigail Manwell (Assistant Director/Internship Coordinator); Enrique Salanic; Erica Rondon; Alexandra Ezaki; and Jennyfer Larios.

The Center for Career Development hosted its Fall 2013 Etiquette Dinner in Mueller Dining Hall on Monday October 7, 2013.  Over 60 students spent the evening learning the finer points of dining as well as how to sharpen their mix and mingling skills. Following a brief presentation, the event hosted a social period where participants practiced dining on appetizers and sparkling juice while meeting new people. This session was followed by a four course dinner in the main dining hall, accompanied by a talk on dining etiquette led by Ms. Meg Langland, Certified Etiquette Consultant and Director of the Center for Career Development.

In addition to learning from Ms. Langland, students gained valuable anecdotal information from professionals who served as their Table Host. Personal tips given by Table Hosts included how to handle unexpected situations encountered with business dinners and how to generally feel more at ease socially. This year’s Table Hosts were: Dr. Carolyn Perry, Mr. Charles Hunter, Dr. Bill Sheehan, Shawn Campbell ’08, Ms. Sharon Mather, Dr. Enrique Salas-Durazo, Ms. Jenny Campbell, Ms. Tamara Caston, and Professor Elise Bartley.

Overall the Etiquette Dinner was rated very highly by students, with the vast majority indicating information gained from the evening helped prepare them for succeeding in future social situations. This successful event would not have been possible without financial support from the Student Government Association, the Alumni Council and the Center for Career Development.