SPRING-OA 2022

WHERE WILL THE A

“We want The Avenue to lead students to a happy and successful life.” — Stephanie Jeffers, director of the Career Center

By Janet Keller ’17 Career planning has always been at the heart of the student experience at SMWC. But it wasn’t until the 1980s—yes, that decade of big hair, leg warmers, and movie soundtracks asking “Who ya gonna call?”—that the College made a decision to offer dedicated career services to students. The beginnings were modest. In those early years, a placement advisor at Le Fer Hall answered job-related questions, with job procurement being the primary aim of most students. And with that act, the tiny seed of career services was planted.

Gresham’s retirement last year after 30+ years of service was significant. However, thanks in part to the strong foundation put in place decades before, career services at the College continues to thrive.

“It’s about keeping the rich history and tradition of the College intact while at the same time paving the way for what students define as success in today’s world,” says Stephanie Jeffers, director

of the Career Center. Jeffers has been at the helm of the center since last summer and is genuinely excited to give students hope and assistance as they prepare themselves for the future. One of the first items on Jeffers’ to-do list is educating students on the offerings of the Career Center and evaluating its current programs. “We want students to know who we are and how we can help,” she says. She also wants to ensure that current offerings meet the needs of present-day students. In addition to basic support (resume and cover letter reviews, honing of interview skills, assistance with job/ internship searches), the Career Center is available to help students in many other ways, including: • Identifying suitable careers based on interests; • Exploring post baccalaureate degrees; Stephanie Jeffers

In the world of horticulture, it is well known that the strength of a tree lies in its roots. The roots of career services at the College firmly took hold in 1990 under the nourishing hands of Woods alum named Susan Gresham ‘79. Gresham began her SMWC career that year as coordinator of career development. Working the first eight years

Susan Gresham ’79

as the lone staff member in that area, she built the program from the ground up. Her involvement in many initiatives, most significantly securing two Lilly Endowment Inc. grants in the early 2000s, allowed the College to not only open the Career Development Center, but also hire additional staff and expand its offerings with new and innovative programming.

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