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Douglass Residential College

Discovering Career Paths

Discovering Career Paths

Douglass students have the opportunity to participate in many career development and mentoring programs organized by the BOLD Center at Douglass for Career and Leadership Development. Two of the most popular and impactful programs are the Career Conference and the Douglass Externship Experience.

Both programs use experiential learning to help students build their career development toolkits. Beginning in their first year, students learn valuable skills from interviewing to networking, which they can build upon throughout their time in college.

Each year, 200 students attend the Douglass Career Conference, where they learn about career opportunities available in a broad range of industries.

This year’s conference, which was held on October 6, boasted an array of panels and workshops held by Douglass alumnae. Topics included Women of Color Navigating the Workplace, Landing Internships, What’s Up Doc? Medical School and Beyond! and much more.

Sponsored by Christiana Foglio DC’84, the 2018 career conference featured Google’s High Education Manager Tara Kousha DRC’12 as the keynote speaker. Throughout the event, students had the opportunity to learn from successful Douglass women and start building their personal networks across the corporate and non-profit worlds.

“Our younger students are often interested in several different careers, and this conference helps them find good matches for their interests and aptitudes,” said Leslie Danehy, Assistant Dean and Director of the BOLD Center. “Many of them don’t know how to create a resume or understand the value of networking, so this helps them learn the basics early on.”

Likewise, the Douglass Externship Experience gives students a valuable sneak peek at the professional world beyond college. For one or two weeks during the January or March semester breaks, students shadow site mentors—many of whom are Douglass alumnae—at their workplaces.

The externship program is competitive, with more than 300 students applying for 160 spaces. Externships are open to all Douglass students, although first and second-year students receive preference. To participate, students must go through an interview process and resume critique. Those accepted for externships are required to attend preparatory workshops.

The benefits of this experience are significant on many levels. As Leslie explains: “Not only do our students gain insight into real careers, they are better positioned for longer-term internships and entry-level jobs as a result of the personal connections they make.”

 

 

If you are interested in becoming a BOLD Externship Site Mentor or learning more about the BOLD Center at Douglass, please contact Leslie Danehy at Leslie.Danehy@rutgers.edu or 848-932-3184