Madison Ollis, Alyson Gehrke, Caitlin Kaiser, Jordan Polillo and Jessica Gore, left to right, all members of Penn State Brandywine's Student Government Association, at "What the Fork," an event where students learned about professional dining and connected with alumni.
MEDIA, Pa. – Penn State Brandywine held its first Career Quest Week March 18 through 22. Held in partnership with Career Services and the Offices of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Student Affairs, Development and Alumni Relations, and Housing and Food Services, Career Quest Week featured events to get students ready for internships and careers in their desired fields.
Career Quest Week offered panels in specialty areas such as law, public service, psychology, communications, human resources and technology, as well as free LinkedIn headshots, a night of professional dining and networking, and an Idea TestLab Pitch Competition. Multiple alumni came back to Brandywine to share their experiences in their fields with current students and provided them with advice throughout the week.
Christine Allen, career services coordinator, played a large role in putting Career Quest Week together. She noted that the perspective given to students was really insightful and she is looking forward to connecting students with alumni in the future.
“It’s been really exciting and gratifying to work on this new campus collaborative, especially since it’s so beneficial to our students. The advice given by our guest presenters was phenomenal. Students gained a clearer vision of their future while also expanding their alumni connections,” said Allen.
“At each event, I was able to invite students and alumni to join our Penn State networking platform, LionLink and the ‘Brandywine Community Group.’ This allows students to expand their connections, schedule career conversations and receive career advice. These events were just the start of some amazing new connections between Penn Staters. I’m very grateful to our alumni partners and the various collaborators who made these events such a success!”
Students who attended Career Quest Week events felt they got a lot out of the activities throughout the week, especially Sara Hallahan, a first-year student, who noted that her experience was extremely helpful, especially as someone who is still undecided on a major.
“As an undecided student, Career Quest Week provided me with invaluable opportunities to explore the potential major I’m interested in, which is human development and family studies,” said Hallahan.
“Through various workshops, panels and networking events, I was able to connect with Brandywine alumni, giving me insight into their career paths and how their education translated into real-world opportunities. This experience helped me make more informed decisions about my academic and professional future.”
