Lexi White- General Reporter
Figuring out life after college can be extremely difficult for most students. Sometimes, these hard times can be caused due to students not having a support system that can help them navigate their future careers.
Luckily, at the university, the Office of Career and Professional Development and the Wellbeing Center are always available to those who need extra assistance.
These two organizations came together, on Feb. 27 in the Adanti Student Center to host an event where students could talk about their academic or professional difficulties and gain tips on how to overcome anxiety when going through the job search process.
The Office of Career and Professional Development can help students with career and major advice, experiential learning, and resume building.
Rachel Cunningham-Exavier is the assistant director of the Office of Career and Professional Development. Her goal from this event was to ease students’ minds and see how they are feeling as they are figuring out their career paths.
“In order to be equitable, I feel like you need to understand and listen to the student before you can offer advice,” Cunningham-Exavier said. “So, we need to be able to listen, talk, ask questions, and really listen to what students’ needs are.”
The idea for this event came about when Cunningham-Exavier and Allyson Regis, who is the Coordinator of the Wellbeing Center, had a conversation pertaining to student’s anxiety when applying for jobs.
They decided that by joining forces, they could create a healthy and supportive environment for those who needed it.
The Wellbeing Center provides counseling, health services, and violence prevention services. Their goal is to help students be physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually well.
“This event will definitely benefit students because if they are here that means they want to take those next professional steps,” Regis said. “We wanted to do this event to highlight some of the things that can help people feel like they are not alone in their professional struggles.”
Cunningham-Exavier and Regis started the event off by offering lunch to students who attended and presented their organizations, what they do and how they can help give support.
They then opened the conversation up to those who attended the event and asked them to share their professional struggles.
Business administration major Sanjidha Hossain, a graduate student, was one of the students who expressed what they are going through.
“I did not know that they had guides for graduate students,” Hossain said. “I feel like when you are a graduate student, you are an adult, but this is so cool because I was trying to figure this out all by myself.”
This event helped to make Hossain feel less alone in her academic and professional experiences.
“Being told about career changes and how that is okay made things feel less scary as a newcomer to the real world,” Hossain said.
Another student who attended the event was philosophy major Jen Ng, a senior. She did not realize how in-depth and helpful this event was going to be.
“I learned that it is important to put myself out there, and that I should consult more services on campus,” Ng said.
Ng also really enjoyed how Cunningham-Exavier and Regis made the event very inclusive by talking to each student as an individual instead of just going through the motions.
“I think this benefits students by making them feel more confident and competent,” Ng said. “Helping them chase their dreams while figuring out how to make their own lives feel fulfilling.”
To set up an appointment for career, academic or mental health services, go to the university’s website and look up the Office of Career and Professional Development or the Wellbeing Center.
