At Sophomore Summit, students complete their second-year InSight requirement. They explore experiential learning opportunities and learn best practices for building their résumés and LinkedIn profiles.
Champlain College students begin career preparation early on in their college career. Each fall, the Career Collaborative hosts Sophomore Summit, which includes a full day of career-related activities, panels, and workshops.
One of the first sessions of the day was an experiential learning panel. Upper-year students share advice and insight about the experiential learning opportunities they’ve taken advantage of. The panel provides sophomore students with relatable information as they explore the idea of studying abroad and interning both in the United States and internationally.
“The biggest point I wanted to get across was that there’s opportunity everywhere,” said panel member James Kainth ’20 // Computer Networking & Cybersecurity. “There are so many networking opportunities at Champlain alone. You can get a job on campus, study abroad, and network with your industry-expert professors. When you graduate, you’ll be better primed for the real world than graduates from other colleges.”
“I wanted to let my peers know that if you put in the work, anything is possible. Champlain nurtures your desire for high achievement. So when we go to our internships and jobs, we will be happy doing what we’re doing,” James added.
Students on this year’s panel studied abroad at our Dublin and Montreal campuses and elsewhere around the world. James, pictured third from left, studied in Dublin.Rose Marshall ’20 // Professional Writing and James talked about the benefits of interning as a student.After the panel concluded, students split up into their academic divisions for a career session. Stiller School of Business and Education & Human Studies students networked with an alum from their major in the Champlain Room. Bayley Palzer ’18 // Business Administration, is a former Peer Coach. He now works at Champlain Investment Partners, LLC.Jared Knepper ’19 // Management & Innovation, is now the Development Coordinator & Strategic Projects Specialist at the Generator in Burlington, Vermont. He chatted with fellow Management & Innovation majors about job searching post graduation. He also talked about ways to get involved on campus to better position yourself for success.Criminal Justice students received a visit from Milton Police officer Sam Noel ’17. Noel shared career advice from the working world.Career Collaborative staff reviewed best practices with students for building a résumé and a LinkedIn portfolio. A few weeks later, students are required to submit both for review. This helps ensure students are prepared to network with industry professionals.Students also took part in a credit review session and looked over their credit action plan.Doing so teaches students early on how to maintain a good credit score.The career and financial education doesn’t stop here. Peer Coaches like Anna Matich ’20 // Computer Science & Innovation, have drop-in hours to help students at the Career Collaborative Monday through Friday between 11 AM and 4 PM. Be sure to stop by!
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