Katie Jensen
Equinox Staff
Many Keene State College alumni were recently spotted walking through campus last weekend, many of whom attended events such as the Senior Dinner and Dessert, the Golden Circle Luncheon and the reunion.
Many students may believe these alumni events are organized for the sole purpose of reuniting old classmates, however, the Keene State College Alumni Association offers much more than that. The organization, which consists of 34,000 alumni members, offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for alumni to help current KSC students.
Some of these volunteers offer mentorships and scholarships for current students, such as the Keene Endowment Association Scholarships. For example, the David B. Staples Family Scholarship provides financial assistance to deserving students who are majoring in Elementary Education or Nursing. Eligible applicants must display academic excellence and leadership in order to qualify, as well as achieve a G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher. Additionally, there are many scholarship opportunities available to students across every major at KSC, many of which are funded by our alumni.
Many of the KSC alumni also guest lecture in classrooms and provide job-shadowing or internship opportunities for students. Throughout October, many alumni will be featured in The Career Speaker Series, which informs students of many different career opportunities such as Data Analytics, BioPharma, Information Systems Solutions, and careers in government services. On October 22, a panel of recent KSC graduates will come to talk about what they do, how they got their jobs and what students can do now to prepare themselves for the working world.
It is important for every student to develop as many professional connections as possible, and the Alumni Association is a specific organization that is looking to help you. Other than scholarships and guest lectures, our alumni also contribute to many internship and employment opportunities on the KSC JobWise website.
Many KSC juniors and seniors are expected to search for internship opportunities on the website so they can fulfill required class credits, but anyone can benefit from interning over the summer to gain work experience. As graduation creeps closer, more students are starting to devote their time to crafting and building their resumes. KSC JobWise can help find internship and employment opportunities that apply to your major(s) and other academic interests.
However, that is only one medium in which students can go looking for internships. The Career Speaker Series and other guest lectures leave room for questions and personal inquiries at the end, giving students the opportunity to approach the lecturer and personally offer their services. Students may ask the speaker what positions are available where they work and how to get an interview with their employer. This would show initiative on the student’s behalf and it would save time in learning how to apply. Instead of scrolling through the company’s website to learn more about the position and how to submit a resume, students can ask the speaker directly and gain intimate knowledge about the workplace.
Overall, current students should learn more about the Keene State College Alumni Association and what they can do to help navigate your career. They have firsthand knowledge about what it is like to enter the working world after graduating from college and have the ability to connect you with working professionals. Therefore, it is wise for students to attend these guest lecture events and show appreciation for our alumni because it might open the door to unexpected career paths.
Katie Jensen can be contacted at kjensen@kscequinox.com
