Grace Sviland called it her freshman-year crisis. Not long into her first year at Marquette, Sviland realized she didn’t know what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, even as she pursued a double major in psychology, and criminology and law studies.
A presentation in her English class delivered a breakthrough. The speaker, a staff member of the Career Center, encouraged students to visit and take advantage of the many resources available to help them define and achieve their postgraduation goals. “It’s a free benefit for students, so why don’t I use it?” Sviland thought.
Classroom visits are among the efforts Career Center staff have undertaken to get more students like Sviland through their doors. There’s also been special attention for students in majors that fall below the university’s 85 percent benchmark for achieving fully engaged career outcomes — defined as full-time employment, continued education, engagement in a service year or military service within six months of graduation.
“It’s one of the best resources on campus.”
Grace Sviland, rising junior
Career Center Director Courtney Hanson, Arts ’98, PT ’00, Grad ’06, says each of these “focus majors” are assigned to a career counselor who connects with faculty in the major to learn more about that student population — their strengths, their struggles and how career education is currently integrated in the major’s curriculum. Career Center counselors also use advanced software to help students in focus majors understand the transferable skills they’re developing in the classroom that are also the top skills employers seek.
“During career counseling appointments with students, I found they’re not often aware of the many skills they build through their course work,” Hanson says. “By infusing points of reflection throughout a course, students make those connections and learn how they can communicate these skills to future employers.”
It’s been a busy year for the Career Center, which moved in the fall to a prominent location in the new Lemonis Center for Student Success, where it regularly hosts events to attract more students. Since the move and the increase in proactive outreach, the Career Center has seen an 11 percent increase in student drop-ins and a 12 percent increase in class presentation requests. The center also drew 931 unique users to a new photo booth where students and alumni can take free headshots.
And that’s not all. The Career Center has also increased its outreach to graduate students, creating a career counselor role specifically focused on their needs. Last fall, the Graduate School added three career skill requirements for all incoming doctoral students — career discernment; communication; and diversity, equity and inclusion — with the goal of better preparing doctoral students for any career path they choose. “While the Career Center has always supported graduate students, this specialized role brings more visibility to the services and resources available,” says Lizzy Machado, Arts ’14 , career counselor for graduate students.
Sviland, a rising junior from Escanaba, Michigan, says she’s visited the center at least five times in her first three semesters, getting help with resume writing, interviewing techniques and figuring out her career path. As a student in one of the focus majors — psychology — she used special software to talk through multiple career options with a counselor.
Now, she’s a psychology major with a minor in neuroscience and plans for a career in clinical psychology after earning her doctorate. “They set you up to be the best student you can be, and set you up to succeed,” she says. “It’s one of the best resources on campus.”
