Located in the Ludington Center in downtown Albion, Albion College’s Career and Internship Center offers support and services to all students in their career development process.
The department has a wide range of services to help students. From choosing a major, to career planning, to job searches, to mock interviews and more, the center aims to be as beneficial to students as possible as they prepare for the next chapter of life. Outside of just the career aspect, workers at the Career and Internship Center also help students pursue graduate studies.
Dawn Hernandez is the associate director of the Career and Internship Center. Hernandez said she began this particular line of work in order to help people.
“It may sound like a cliché, but I think all of us just want to help people. Service to others is a huge motivator for us and when we see a student or an alum get to that ‘what’s next’ step, we are ecstatic,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez said she sees this job as something very rewarding for both her and the students.
“The smiles on their faces are what makes it all worthwhile,” said Hernandez. “And the letters and emails we receive, thanking us, truly mean a lot, too.”
Outside of the programs and resources the Career and Internship Center has to offer, Hernandez said the staff is the central aspect to making the department so successful.
“Our staff, and by staff I’m referring to not only Troy Kase, Erin Schultz and myself, but also our student workers and volunteers: AJ Wilson, Lissy Latorre (CIC), and Leia Serlin and Anthony Neal (PathFinder). Being helpful is something we all strive for,” said Hernandez.
Outside of the building itself, the Career and Internship Center also has resources available online to help students establish themselves and work toward the future.
The Briton Network is a tool developed to help students and alumni connect. Online, students and alumni can message each other, and students have the ability to request advisory calls regarding any future plans. The Briton Network also allows students and alumni alike to develop their networking skills. According to Hernandez, there is a network full of alumni that are eager to connect with students.
Like many other aspects of life, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed some aspects of how the Career and Internship Center functions. Career fairs, for example, were moved to a virtual format.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen career fairs move exclusively to a virtual format this past year,” said Hernandez. “Luckily, we have a great platform, Handshake, albion.edu/handshake, that allowed us to continue to conduct our Beyond Albion and Job Pursuit fairs, as well as promote numerous information sessions. This is also the site to find on-campus jobs and internships/jobs.”
Hernandez also said whether students are seniors or first-years, they should schedule an appointment to visit the Career and Internship Center.
“It’s never too soon to be thinking about ‘What’s next.’ Reach out to us: careers@albion.edu,” said Hernandez.
The Career and Internship Center is open by appointment.
Very nice article. Thank you for writing this Hayden! I am glad that you interviewed Dawn as she is an absolutely fantastic resource at the College.