°IJʿ Career Services hosted fall 2022 orientation on August 18–24 for its 21 student employees who embody an essential element of the office’s mission: peer connection.
Following a welcome-back breakfast, new and returning interns engaged in team development exercises, including a game of bingo and sharing fun facts. Not only did these student-led activities encourage bonding, but they also eased students’ transition back to campus.
Shannon Keefe, a senior office assistant, appreciated the opportunity to connect with fellow interns.
“The energy boosters were fun team-building exercises organized by the office ambassador interns that allowed for collaboration among interns,” Keefe said. “To be a cohesive team requires that we know each other not just as interns but as people, and these activities facilitated an environment that allowed this to occur.”
Teresa Olsen, the assistant vice president for career initiatives, reinforced the important role that interns play in the office.
“People often think internships are all about the student learning from the experience. Although I hope that to be true, personally, I have probably learned as much from my interns as they have from me. It's one of the more enjoyable parts of my job.”
In full department sessions, interns were exposed to each unit within the office — alumni engagement, career advising, communications, employer relations, and office ambassadors. Interns learned about the constructive overlap between departments and how teams collaborate to serve students.
Interns observed the usefulness of virtual networking through platforms such as Handshake, Linkedin, and the °IJʿ Link. Moving beyond the screen, supervisors emphasized in-person connections through student inclusion and identity groups spearheaded by Career Services staff.
Hope Sacco, a sophomore office assistant, noted the significance of groups such as the international student group and LGBTQ+ group in fostering a supportive environment.
“We understand that students may have unique challenges or different means by which they navigate the professional world because of their identities and backgrounds,” Sacco said. “For Career Services, equity means catering to the individual needs of the student rather than viewing our work as a one-size-fits-all process.”
The cross-departmental portion of orientation concluded with a discussion about Career Service's four-year development plan. The plan helps students navigate each of their years at °IJʿ, keeping in mind that every student has a unique career development journey.
Supervisors welcomed their individual teams by holding focused skills sessions. Clementina Aboagye, a sophomore intern, found great value in convening with the entire staff of Career Services in addition to her peer career advising team.
“Participating in both the cross-departmental and team-specific training gave me the opportunity to connect and really understand diverse perspectives,” Aboagye said. “Through collaboration and a commitment to constant improvement, I saw that the human-centric approach was really shining through.”
The weeklong orientation concluded with a celebratory outing to °IJʿ’s Glendening Boathouse on Lake Moraine, where students enjoyed kayaking, paddle boarding, and swimming. Orientation’s end marks the beginning of another year in which Career Services strives to connect with students at each step of their career development journey — and our dedicated interns are here to help.