hYPe connects local, young professionals

A year after its inception, hYPe used its monthly professional development event to get local young professionals excited about non-profit involvement.

hYPe, Helping Young Professionals Excel, is an initiative of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce to provide networking and professional development opportunities for people ages 21-40.

“We want to help those involved further their own skills and improve their own businesses,” Chamber President and C.E.O. Christy Gillenwater said.

The event Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the organization. “Get hYPed and Get Involved” was at KRC Banquets and Catering.

Keynote Speaker Cullen McCarty, an IU alumnus, is the executive vice president of Smithville Communications, Inc.

McCarty said it is important to get involved in the local community and find a purpose in giving back.

“You have to know what your passions are, but you also have to know what your boundaries are,” he said. “You have to decide what it is you want to accomplish, and if you only volunteer for one, it’s not going to hurt you.”

Shayna Martin graduated from IU in 2004 and has served on the hYPe steering committee since last January.

“We want to become that go-to YP organization in the community,” she said.

Wednesday’s event was IU graduate student Chad Carwein’s first experience with hYPe. Through his Service Corps Fellowship program in SPEA, he is required to participate in professional development activities.

“I thought it was really well organized, and I would have loved to mingle more,” he said. “At first, to me, it was a surprise in a sense that so many young professionals decided to stay in Bloomington, but now I understand.”