By: Huntre Keip ’20, assistant editor
At the Breen Center for Graduate Success, career counselors and students work together to ensure stability and knowledge for individuals entering the work place.
The Breen Center provides a feature which primarily focuses on first-year students. Career counselors visit the FYE one-credit classes during both the fall and spring semesters to talk to students. The fall semester allows for students to brainstorm career planning, and the spring semester lets them think about résumé development.
“We ensure first-year students understand the value of engaging with our office as early as their first semester,” Brynn Mason, assistant director of career development in the Breen Center for Graduate Success, said. “We hope that it will help them to be more comfortable seeking our services early rather than waiting until junior or senior year.”
Not only do the career counselors help students, but also upperclassmen are hired to help too. These students are called career peers, assist the staff during drop-in hours and review the résumés of the students enrolled in the FYE one-credit courses.
“This service was not available to me as a freshman, and I wish it would have been,” Courtney Mengel, a senior career peer, said. “Having a fellow student’s assistance definitely creates a relaxed atmosphere.”
Career peers work with students one-on-one and suggest changes on their résumés. The process is similar to writing tutor appointments which are held in the Center for Writing & Tutoring Resources.
“My advice to freshmen is not to think of this as just another assignment you need to do for class,” Danielle Krick, a senior career peer, said. “A résumé is a living document which will change over time.”
The Breen Center emphasizes how important it is for freshmen to create a résumé at the beginning of their college careers.
“At LVC, students need to submit a résumé for leadership opportunities such as becoming an RA or a Valley Ambassador,” Mason said. “Even if students do not have many current experiences, it will be easier for them to write their experiences in the future.”
The career peers will work from Feb. 11 – Mar. 22 during drop-in hours at the Breen Center.