Fuse Blog

Entering my last semester in college and soon the “real world”:

Posted Nov 29, 2011 by Lara

Almost 4 years have now flown by as I am entering my final semester at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. There are many questions I ask myself on what my future will bring and how I can achieve my goals. The decisions I will have to make in the near future could possibly change the direction of my career. Maybe I will take a year off and travel Europe or even move out to Denver with my neighbor after graduation. Do I want to stay in Duluth? Will I be able to find a job or maybe I should just try to find another internship somewhere? Did I pick the right major? Should I continue going to school to further my education? The list of questions is almost endless and same with the possibilities.

My goal coming into college was to graduate in 4 years at UMD and accomplishing that goal is approaching fast. The plan for now is to keep trying hard in all my classes and provide a good image for myself. I want to be able to network within the city of Duluth and see what the possibilities are for a career. A great opportunity could show up any day.

At this point in time I am satisfied with what I have accomplished and am excited to see what opportunities a college degree can bring me. I have been taught to set my goals high and who knows; maybe one day you will see me cruising on a yacht on Lake Superior with more money than I can count. In the end, the overall goal in my life is to be happy and look back at what I have done and know I gave it my all.

Fuse Intern,

Carson Bock

What I'm Excited About!

Posted Nov 22, 2011 by Lara

Calendar time is undeniably one of my favorite "seasons" of the year. It's an opportunity to solicit ideas from Fusers and our action team members. It's a chance to take a look at what's going on in our community and what's of interest to y-pros. It's also a bit of a challenge, requiring us to conjure up some crystal-ball reading skills to project what will be important and relevant in the coming year.

After much brainstorming, contemplation, and review, our team came up with our 2012 calendar of events and corresponding topics. We've been excited to share the results with you, and we hope you're as pleased with what the year holds as we are.

I'm looking forward to it all, but I'm particularly pleased to share news of our first-ever Regional Y-Pro Conference in September. This half-day event is the result of our realization that there's a lot of interest in professional development topics that relate specifically to our demographic. There are so many things to discuss, that we couldn't fit them into our lunch panel list without sacrificing other important subjects. So we made room with this great new event.

Additionally, we're thrilled to be reinventing our popular Rooftop Blues event this year as "Beachfront Blues".
There was a lot of enthusiasm on taking this event to the beach, where we can enjoy views of our amazing Lake, along with fantastic music and all the traditional fun of our annual Blues event. We'll be hosting at the Park Point Beach House, and I know it's going to be a great event, though today I can only imagine the warm sun beating down on all that sand...

Make sure to click over and view the rest of our calendar of fun. It's set to be amazing year, and we can't wait to see you!

Hello everybody!

Posted Oct 19, 2011 by Lara

I would like to introduce myself, Carson Bock, as the new intern for Fuse Duluth. I am a senior at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and am graduating with a degree in Marketing and a Psychology minor spring semester. I am originally from Eagan, MN and attended Eagan High School. In my free time I enjoy golfing, fishing, and playing hockey. I love the city of Duluth and am a huge Bulldog hockey fan, you can find me front row on the glass at every home game at the Amsoil Arena.

I look forward to meeting new people and I am excited for this opportunity with Fuse!

Fuse Duluth Intern

Carson Bock

Fun at the Bluau Luau!

Posted Sep 19, 2011 by Lara

Fuse intern Brooke Leon recaps her first-ever Fuse event:

This year’s Rooftop Blues was a great success thanks to all of our fun guests, musicians and generous sponsors. If it weren’t for The Duluth News Tribune and United Healthcare, we wouldn’t have had those delicious pulled pork sandwiches and Fuse-y Navel drinks!

I couldn’t have imagined this event going any better. We had great weather, fantastic games and some awesome prizes. To the winner of the ValleyFair tickets- I’m jealous! We also gave away some Fuse event tickets, Duluth Playhouse tickets, festive leis and fun stuff. I truly enjoyed hearing people sing our “Fuse Blues” song and I want to thank all of those who kept me company and played the pool game. I never thought that I would have so much fun while swimming in the pool (although I was pretty wrinkly when I got out-it was a small price to pay!)

Thank you again to everyone who came out, you made my first Fuse event a great one and I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Fuse Duluth Intern

Brooke Leon

A New Fuser's Recap of "Newer to Town"

Posted Jun 27, 2011 by intern

The first annual Fuse “Newer to Town” event went off without a hitch (a feat in and of itself in the world of event planning). As the new Fuse intern, this was the first Fuse event I had ever attended, and although I may be a bit biased, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Despite the dreary weather that Duluthians are sadly accustomed to, we had an excellent turnout for the event. Our host, Barker’s Island Inn, provided a lovely banquet hall decorated with candle-lit tables, a delicious appetizer buffet, and an adequately stocked bar. In addition to helping ourselves to seconds on the appetizers, everyone made use of their free drink ticket, compliments of our gracious host, and the networking began.

We had an evenly split group of those new to Fuse and our seasoned veterans. Our time at the event was used to network with new faces and form connections with our fellow young professionals. Throughout the night, we kept the fun rolling by playing three Fuse games, including “Two Truths and a Lie”, “Fuse BINGO”, and “Get to Know Your Fusers”, the winners of which received one of our fabulous prizes including Duluth Playhouse tickets, Renegade Theater tickets, and tickets for the North Shore Scenic Railroad. At the end of the night, we had a drawing for even more prizes—Huskies tickets. All in all, the night proved to be successful and entertaining.

Thank you to everyone who attended the event, and for anyone who has yet to attend a Fuse event, take it from me, a slightly biased new Fuser, you will not be disappointed!