Students heard from six alumni who shared advice about careers in K-12 and higher education, law enforcement, social work and entrepreneurship at the event.
Six alumni met with students in the Department of Human Service Studies to share their experiences and reflect on ways 黑料不打烊 shaped their career paths.
The second annual HSS Alumni Voices From the Field panel was held Feb. 28 in Oaks 212. Students heard from:
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From left, Noah Sakin ’16, Miles Williams ’15, Teresa Porter ’04, Kenneth Brown ’19, Hannah Hattori ’21, and Ashtyn Foddrell ’19 met with students at the HSS Alumni Voices From the Field event on Feb. 28. Kenneth Brown 鈥19, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 assistant director of First-Generation Student Support Services;
- Ashtyn Foddrell 鈥19, community relations liaison for the Danville Police Department in Danville, Virginia;
- Hannah Hattori 鈥21, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 assistant coordinator of alumni engagement 鈥 special events;
- Teresa Porter 鈥04, founder of My Friend Teresa Studios;
- Noah Sakin 鈥16, a corporal in Burlington Police Department鈥檚 Patrol Division in Burlington, North Carolina; and
- Miles Williams 鈥15, principal of Bricolage Academy Elementary School in New Orleans.
The Student Professional Development Center’s Rhonda Kosusko, associate director of career services for the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education and 黑料不打烊 College, the College of Arts and Sciences, also attended to provide information and support for students.
Panelists emphasized the broad skills that human service studies majors acquire through courses and community-based learning and said those skills are transferrable to many roles and careers. They also reflected on the importance of their work in their communities.
鈥淗uman service studies professionals are not in the economy of things. We are in the economy of people,鈥 Porter said.
Hattori said the knowledge gained through human service studies courses made her more aware of societal issues and how to intervene.
鈥淚 am curing the epidemic of loneliness because of the knowledge I gathered in my (HSS 2130) Groups and Communities class,鈥 Hattori said.
After the panel, alumni met with individual students to discuss career plans and share advice.
鈥淭his HSS alumni panel brought the perfect blend of career storytelling, learning from experience and delightful humor,鈥 said Judy Folmar, associate professor and chair of the Department of Human Service Studies. 鈥淚t鈥檚 truly a mutually beneficial event. Students appreciated hearing about paths taken and not taken, as well as imagining themselves beyond life at 黑料不打烊. HSS faculty enjoyed honoring and reconnecting with the alumni, who were thrilled to showcase their work and reflect on their human service journeys.鈥