The Office of Alumni Relations is holding the ‘Express to Success’ program. The program is designed to help current students gain experience for their future careers. Sophomores and juniors who sign up for the program will paired with alumni professionals in their chosen field of study for a one-week mentoring experience over Spring Break, March 17th – March 21st, 2014.
Students not only receive valuable information pertaining to their future career, but also get to form a bond with the University’s alumni and form business connections.
“Express to Success is kind of a twofold mission,” said Lynn Baronas, the Assistant Director of Student and Alumni Engagement, “The first is to give our students the opportunity to work in fields of exposure of certain professional fields to learn a little bit about the areas that they might want to go into and to test whether their desire for a long term career is right for them. The second is to engage our alumni and give our students an opportunity to get to know our alumni and give our alumni an opportunity to work with our students.”
The program, which has been running for the past few years, yields positive results on both the student and alumni sides.
“People always really find a lot of inspiration, both on the mentors’ and the mentees’ side of the program,” said Stefania Campbell, the Associate Director of Alumni Relations, “The mentees really get to go into the programs that’s been described and get that job shadow opportunity that they might not in any other way, shape or form. They get to try on a job or try on an industry or a career, for this short amount of time. It’s very much unlike any other program that we have.”
Last school year, the Express to Success Program had twelve successful placements, which was a similar number to previous years. This year, the Office of Alumni Relations hope to see the number rise by beginning preparation earlier and announcing the program in December, rather than January, as in previous years. Their plan has been successful and the program already has over twenty applicants.
A workshop will also be held the week before Spring Break to help participating students prepare for working in a professional workplace. The exact date and location of the workshop is to be announced.
Sophomores and juniors interested in taking part in the Express to Success Program must fill out an online application, which includes a faculty reference and contact information. The application can be found here: https://www.anchoronline.org/express-to-success-student-application.
Students will also have to send their professional resume to Lynn Baronas at . Those without a resume, may visit Career Services in Gengras Student Union Room 309 for assistance in drafting one. The application deadline is Monday, January 27th 2014. In addition to the application, interviews will be conducted in February to help make the best student-alumni pair possible.
For more information about the Express to Success program, email Lynn Baronas at or Stefania Campbell at .