The 2013 Net Impact Conference was a coming home of sorts. This is ironic because one year ago, I did not know what Net Impact was, an undergraduate Net Impact chapter did not exist at my university, and I had just finished a prestigious consulting internship with no clue what to do with my career. My elevator pitch was a dud and I was stuck.

Looking back, last year's Net Impact conference was a critical turning point for me. Equipped with little else but an open mind, I attended session after session. Slowly, the clouds parted and I finally had that aha! moment that business could be a legitimate driver for social change. Possessed by inspiration and new energy, I came back to campus after the conference and launched the Net Impact University of Maryland Undergrad chapter (SUNI). I also decided then and there that I would forfeit traditional internship opportunities and dedicate my career to creating scalable social impact.

Last year was about the discovery of untapped knowledge and community of peers. This year was about deepening my understanding and leveraging the Net Impact network to land that post-college impact career. As always, the Net Impact conference was a key part of that journey. Just as important, I have an elevator pitch that I believe in, focused on using technology to revolutionize education in communities of poverty and conflict. In addition to my job search and attending sessions, the highlight of the 2013 Net Impact conference was the opportunity to interact with members of the Net Impact community and exchange personal stories. Examples include a lively dinner conversation with a Babson MBA about a potential partnership between 2K Games and Pearson to build mass-appeal education games; roundtable discussions with the Director of Google Giving (including a hands-on test with Google Glass); and honest airport conversations with fellow students about balancing salary and impact when choosing a career.

There is a silent stigma, especially for college students, that networking can be superficial and meant for the extroverts. Net Impact flies in the face of that belief. More than just exchanging business cards, every conversation I had at the conference was built on a genuine, mutual interest to support one another as part of a like-minded network. Beyond a network, Net Impact is a community. That difference is what will draw me to the Net Impact conference year after year.

Sitting on the flight back from San Jose to Maryland, listening to the rumble and tumble of the airplane engine, I was brought back to Thursday morning before the start of the conference when a member of the Net Impact Board of Directors asked me how Net Impact has changed my plans for the future. I reflected on these past 12 months: launching a Net Impact chapter, serving as a New Sector Fellow for Net Impact in San Francisco, winning Chapter of the Year, and finally having some purposeful direction to my life.

I smiled and responded, because I knew what to say. Net Impact forever changed my personal brand and what I want to do with my life. Net Impact introduced me to a like-minded community both on campus and around the world. Quite simply, Net Impact was the start of everything for me.