Alumni Return to Engage with Students

Each year at the end of October, Advising Day is built into the academic calendar. It’s intended for students to have dedicated time to plan out their upcoming semesters, choosing the courses that will fit best their graduation requirements, and consider their long-term career paths.

This year, in addition to providing focused appointments with advisors, a number of academic departments and co-curricular groups hosted events for students to connect with alumni.

A significant event included Project Ex, put on by the Department of Business and Economics and the Office of Career Development and Calling. Now in its third year, Project Ex has expanded to include all students, regardless of major. Students attended an opening session with Bethel’s Alumnus of the Year and business graduate Chad Schwitters ’95, followed by breakout sessions with around 20 other business and economics alumni. These alumni led sessions on topics such as: personal social media branding, professional social etiquette, negotiating pay, and how to spend the first paycheck. Alumni working for Target; Dropbox; CHS, Inc.; Allianz; Wells Fargo; and many other organizations shared their insights, lessons learned, and perspective after some time in the real world.

The Department of Art and Design hosted three alumni to share about their current careers and career paths, and also to give advice on preparing for life in creative fields. The Department of Education Leadership in Teaching Association (DELTA) student group hosted a peer advising workshop where older students could share some advice with younger students.

Throughout the year, many of Bethel alumni return to other department events and classes to provide Bethel students with their expertise and wisdom as graduates.

Bethel alumni who would like to give back to current students—by offering career advice through a small workshop, class visit, or Project Ex—can contact the Office of Career Development and Calling at career-development@bethel.edu. Or fill out this application to mentor a business-focused student through the fast-growing BethelBiz mentorship program.

At Bethel, internships are a vital hands-on learning opportunity for students. If you have an internship opportunity you would like Bethel students to know about, please contact career-development@bethel.edu.