{"id":13218,"date":"2024-09-19T17:05:10","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T17:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/?p=13218"},"modified":"2024-09-23T14:46:37","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T14:46:37","slug":"a-professional-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/2024\/09\/19\/a-professional-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"A professional foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Whether seeking internships related to a major, taking a leadership position outside of the classroom, or finding guidance from the Strommen Center for Meaningful Work<\/a>, Augsburg students have a variety of options to help them explore career opportunities. The Augsburg general education curriculum is designed to help students develop the skills necessary for successful careers and fulfilling lives through core requirements and major coursework, while the Augsburg Experience requirement ensures that every student completes at least one high-impact learning experience\u2014with options ranging from internships to community engagement projects.<\/p>\n

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Strommen Center resume review (Photo by Courtney Perry)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Augsburg\u2019s latest strategic plan<\/a> calls out career exploration and preparation as a key element of an Augsburg education. Morgan Knutzen<\/strong>, career services director at the Strommen Center, said Augsburg is committed to doing things differently with career services in order to best serve its unique student body. Most alumni say they\u2019ve sought career advice from faculty, so starting this fall, the Strommen Center is leading a year-long process to engage faculty and staff on how to better support student career development.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to create new pathways for faculty to include careers in the classroom, because ultimately, that’s where every student is, and that\u2019s where they prioritize being,\u201d Knutzen said. \u201cThe more we can incorporate career conversations during class, we’re going to democratize access to career development, and that\u2019s really important to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dean of Students Michael Grewe \u201912 MSW<\/strong> said one of the primary ways he\u2019s seen students gain career readiness on campus is through extracurricular activities, including leadership positions in student government, athletic teams, or campus ministry.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only are we assisting them in their career goals, but we’re also working with students\u2014helping them navigate what we call \u2018the hidden curriculum of higher ed,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cHow do you build networks, talk to faculty, seek mentorship, and connect with campus opportunities in student leadership or engagement? All those things, in addition to what you’re learning in the classroom, provide you with the skills, tools, and resources you need to succeed in your career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward Morgan Stockard Jr. \u201924<\/strong>, who currently attends Augsburg as a graduate student in social work, participated in student government, student activities council, and orientation teams as an undergraduate. He said those experiences have prepared him for the internships required as part of his degree. He appreciates the relationships he\u2019s formed with faculty and staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Augsburg community is very open and engaging,\u201d he said. \u201cThey try not to let power dynamics affect relationships, and try to keep it casual and open. I learned that I want a career and workplace environment like that in the future\u2014because we\u2019re all human at the end of the day. Augsburg has helped me think about what type of person I would like to be in a workplace environment and what type of people I would like to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last February, Augsburg launched its first-ever Career Exploration Day, a requirement for first-year students. The event featured interactive sessions, experiential workshops, faculty talks, introductions to majors, and an opportunity to meet representatives from businesses and organizations.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_images_carousel images=”13294,13301,13296,13297,13298,13299,13295,13302,13303,13300″ img_size=”full” autoplay=”yes” title=”2024 Career Exploration Day Slideshow”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Grit Her \u201926<\/strong> recalled getting an email about Career Exploration Day. While he wasn\u2019t actively looking for a job, he dressed professionally and attended the event. He said it was an impactful experience and a great way to network.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a lot of people handing out business cards from many fields,\u201d said Her, who is a mathematical economics major. \u201cThey had tables with different job opportunities with people explaining the positions they had available. I’m not 100% sure what I want to do after I’m finished with my degree. I’m trying to find my own path toward a career I want. It’s really important for me to network and take advantage of opportunities like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everlyn Balvoa-Granda \u201927<\/strong> has been deeply involved in community and civic engagement since high school, including completing a recent internship at the St. Paul city attorney\u2019s office. The political science major with a pre-law concentration said it\u2019s important in her Ecuadorian family to always be there to support the community. That\u2019s why it\u2019s key for her to find her community at Augsburg. She was able to build on that goal by taking part in Career Exploration Day, where she participated in several workshops and networked with the businesses and organizations that were present.<\/p>\n

While she did talk to recruiters about potential career opportunities, the highlight for her was learning and connecting with staff and faculty.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt [was] more comfortable and welcoming because I was able to build a professional relationship with them,\u201d Balvoa-Granda said. \u201cI heard about their experiences and what they do. I enjoyed hearing them talk about their personal lives, too. It felt like they were setting an example\u2014not only do you feel you belong here, but you feel like you can trust people at Augsburg. That trust helps you open up and get to know them as you build your network.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Top image: A breakout learning session during Augsburg’s Career Day, 2024 (Photo by Courtney Perry)<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Whether seeking internships related to a major, taking a leadership position outside of the classroom, or finding guidance from the Strommen Center for Meaningful Work, Augsburg students have a variety of options to help them explore career opportunities. The Augsburg general education curriculum is designed to help students develop the skills necessary for successful careers <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":13333,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[238],"class_list":["post-13218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-stories","tag-fall-2024"],"wps_subtitle":"Career readiness is woven into the fabric of an Augsburg education.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/610"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13218"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13398,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13218\/revisions\/13398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}