by Amy Borer
Editorial Director
To help graduating seniors better prepare themselves for life after college, the Career Development Center has developed a workshop called the Senior Survival Seminar.
The seminar, which will take place on March 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., aims at helping graduating seniors make the transition from ULV students to members of the work force or graduate school.
“It’s to provide students with the tools necessary to begin to take those first steps, whether it’s with a resume or learning interview techniques or applying to and understanding the whole graduate school admissions process,” said Terrie Lopez, coordinator of career placement.
The seminar will consist of various breakout sessions, a luncheon and round table discussion, and a series of mock interviews.
The breakout sessions will include such topics as resume writing, interviewing techniques, the transition from college and the repayment of student loans.
John Osborne, marketing director of the College of Law, and Kathy Odom, associate director of financial aid, will be on hand to answer students’ questions about graduate school admission and student loans.
Ann-Marie Sanchez, 1994 ULV graduate and reporter from the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, will be talking to students about the transition between school and a job.
Also as part of the workshop, the seniors will receive the chance to practice their skills with mock interviews. Students will participate in actual interviews, conducted by representatives from companies like United Parcel Service. Dr. Valerie Jordan, professor of psychology, will be present to help with the interviews.
Representatives from Enterprise Rent-A-Car will also be at the seminar to talk to students.
Workers in the Career Development Center are optimistic about the effect the seminar will have on students.
“I personally hope it prepares me because right now I’m at a stage where I’m nervous and not sure what I want to do, or if I do know what I want to do, I don’t know how to go about it,” said Kristi Moran, a worker who is helping prepare the seminar. “I’m hoping it will lead me in the right direction on how to send out my resumes, how to interview and answer the questions right.”
Lopez hopes students take this opportunity to get a head start on life after college.
“The worst thing that can happen is to have the speakers lined up and not the students,” she said. “We would really like to have a good percentage of students turn up.”
She added that if students do not take the opportunity to participate in the seminar, it will be harder in the future to plan events like this.
“I think those who will participate will get a lot of good information and will get the tools to make the transition,” Lopez said.
If there is not enough students signing up, the seminar will have to be postponed until a later date.
For seniors wishing to take part in the seminar, the deadline to register is today in the Career Development Center. There is a $5 conference fee that includes seminar materials. Since students will be conducting themselves in a professional manner, the Career Center staff suggest that students should dress in professional attire.
