KAELYN WOJTYLKO
STAFF WRITER
Alma College has had another successful career week. Last week was full of various events to help students find insight and learn about opportunities in their career paths.
Career week kicked off on Sunday, at JC Penney from 2-5 p.m. with Suit Up. Students received a discount up to 30% on business attire and accessories. Upperclassmen typically attend the event to begin the interview process for grad school or job interviews. This is a favorite amongst the students on campus.
On Monday, Sept. 16, students at Highland Blush were able to get coffee and bring their resume to be reviewed during Coffee and Critique from 10-12 p.m. and 2-5 p.m.
On Monday night speaker Zach Ballinger spoke on “Finding Your Passion.” The talk began at 6:30pm in Swanson Academic Center, Room 113. The first 50 students who attended the talk were given a free t-shirt.
Monday hosted the first two sessions of Sophomore Symposium. There was also a special session on Monday at 7 p.m. for choir members, marching band members, athletes and anyone else who could not make the standard 4:45 p.m. time.
All three sessions of Sophomore Symposium started with presentations by students who had used their Venture grant on the previous spring term. Sophomore students traveled to the various presenters and heard what they gained from their venture experience and was able to ask questions.
While students were traveling around to the different presenters, they received raffle tickets for a prize drawing at the end of the event.
After the students entered DOW L1, Carla Jensen began a presentation where several student panelists talked about their experience applying for the venture they used during their time at Alma.
Some of those learning experiences included research, internships, study abroad programs, service, leadership and clinical experience.
Many of the panelists had used not only a Venture Grant, but also a Posey Global, Currie Scholars Program, or Kinney Scholarship.
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, students joined a Resume Webinar to learn about how to write a resume. Resume work was a main priority during Career Week because a strong resume can open a lot of the pathways in the future.
Wednesday, Sept. 18 held multiple events. The “So You Think You are Going To Grad School” Lunch n’ Learn started the day off in the Thistle Room. Later in the day, the career staff held an Interests and Ice Cream event in Newberry to help students find careers in their interests.
During the night, there was a panel on how to use your Greek experience after college. Four alumni shared their experience on how skills gained in Greek Life relate to the future, especially during job interviews. Students from multiple different Greek organizations attended.
“I thought it was cool to see how many experiences when being involved in Greek life can help you later on in your careers,” said Kimber Buzzard (’21).
Thursday, Sept. 19, started with an elevator pitch raffle where students were able to give an impromptu elevator pitch before heading into the Job Fair 101 Lunch n’ Learn. Alumni were on campus to help students with mock interviews later in the day.
Friday, Sept. 20, was the Career EXPLO which allowed students to get professional headshots and business card printings, as well as, learn about possible job opportunities.
Some students did have feedback on what they wanted in future Career Weeks.
“From what I saw, most of the events that had to do with connecting people were for those in the medical field,” said Genevieve Morand (’22).
“It was the same for a lot of the scholarship programs as well, it seemed like. I feel like it’d be good to get more of a variety of programs for people with different areas of study, specifically in the arts area.”
Another issue students faced were scheduling conflicts between classes, sports and other extracurriculars with the events happening during Career Week. Many students wanted attend certain events, but were not able to open their availability to go to the scheduled career week events.
Students do, however, have constant opportunities for career help through the Center for Student Opportunity. Career week is highlighted specifically for students to interact with alumni who help future Alma graduates to take charge of their future
