HANNAH STIFFLER
STAFF WRITER
Each semester at Alma College, the Career and Personal Development Office holds a week of events for students of all majors to develop personal and professional experience for life after Alma College. During this winter semester, Career Week was held from Sunday, January 31 until Saturday, February 6.
The events were as follows: Suit up! with JC Penny online, Choose Your Own AdVenture, Resume Café with Alma College Alumni, Clifton Strengths Workshop for Seniors, Grad School & Gap Year Fair, Headshots and Alumni Speed Interviews.
A few of the recurring events that are held during Career Week are Suit Up with JC Penny, Alumni Speed Interviews and the annual fair offered in the Fall term called Career EXPLO. The registration for Career Week can always be found on Handshake.
Assistant Director of Career and Personal Development, Madelyn Wentwork, said “We also do our best to provide students with resources to help them launch their careers such as discounted professional clothing, mock interviews, and resume reviews. Additionally, and especially this year, we focused on connecting students with alumni so they can learn from professionals in their fields.”
One of the new events for Career Week this semester is called Roundtable Represent. Madelyn Wentwork added, “at this event, we connected students and alumni of color to discuss their experiences at Alma and in the workplace. This was just one of many networking events that we’re hosting this month.”
Additionally, the Career and Personal Development Office added a new program called Choose Your Own adVenture. This program is meant for first-year students in preparation for the next four years at Alma College and life after it, along with information on how they can take advantage of the Venture Program. This new program can be found at www.alma.edu/adventure.
One of the most popular events during Career Weeks happens to be the free headshots offered. “We collaborated with Communication and Marketing and Bitworks to provide free professional headshots to over 50 students, faculty, and staff members” said Madelyn Wentworth.
By next fall, the Career and Personal Development Office is hoping to include more asynchronous programs. This will allow more students to have the opportunity to interact with the events and programs that Alma College has to offer.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Career and Personal Development Office held all events virtually, with the exception of the free headshots, which were held in-person. Despite most events being virtual, there was still a great turn out from students who were invested in their future after Alma College.
“I find it very rewarding to talk to students who participate in our programs who are excited about the people they’ve met and the opportunities they’ve discovered. There’s no limit to what networking can do” added Madelyn Wentworth. “We hope to encourage students to start thinking about their plans for after graduation. It’s never too early!”
