More than 350 young professional Virginians gathered in Norfolk over the weekend for Senator  Warner’s Young Professionals Summit, the third in an annual series of events designed to create professional growth and networking opportunities.   

Around 80 people arrived early to volunteer on Friday morning at P.B. Young, Sr. Elementary School in Norfolk. The volunteers signed-up for a wide range of activities to help the school get ready for the new school year. Volunteers applied a fresh coat of paint, cleaned-up the playground, cleaned walls and  organized storage closets.

Volunteer James Payne, II appreciated the opportunity for community service. "As a sophomore from Thomas Nelson Community  College who will be attending William & Mary in the fall,  this was a great way for me to meet other young professionals as I give back to my local community." 

Later on Friday, more than 250 summit attendees joined Senator Warner for a networking reception at the Nauticus National Maritime Center in Norfolk.

“Every participant should use this summit as an opportunity to meet at least three people. That’s how young professionals in Virginia can work together to advance the Commonwealth as a national leader,” Sen. Warner said.  

On Saturday, 350 participants attended sessions on topics that included starting a small business, financial planning, and effective networking. 

In the afternoon, Sen. Warner told summit participants that in order to be effective, young Virginians must “connect interpersonally, even if we already connect technologically.”  

Senator Warner even took a show of hands to see how many of the participants had followed his advice to meet at least three new people. After nearly the entire room raised their hands, Senator Warner remarked, “ Wow, this conference has done exactly what it was supposed to do -- grow the Virginia young professional network.”

The afternoon concluded with featured speakers Yancey Strickler, a co-founder of crowdfunding site Kickstarter, and Zoë Romano, a visionary athlete and writer. Both speakers delivered powerful remarks on how they have worked to build and use their networks in order to be successful in their respective fields.