Christian Araujo
Staff Writer
At 6 p.m. on May 6, Associated Students, Inc. held a job panel in the Student Union Multipurpose Room where current students of CSUB were able to gather information on how to obtain a job after graduation. Among those on the panel were alumni Karen Snow, sociology; Aaron Gillies, kinesiology; Kaleb Judy, political science; Laura Wells, psychology; Eric Lord, social work; and Dr. Thomas Clobes, psychology.
ASI President Hernan Hernandez led the panel of alumni through a series of thoughtful questions that would best benefit the student audience.
One question they were asked was, “How did CSUB help your career?” “I knew that I needed to continue further in my education so I found a program here which was a masters in social work program. It turned out to be a great decision for myself,” said Lord, who works at the CSUB Counseling Center.
CSUB was also given high praises by panelist Wells.
“I graduated in 2009 from here with my B.A. in psychology and that was by far one of the best experiences I have had to date,” she said.
Establishing a strong bond between the alumni and CSUB was a topic that was frequently touched upon through Hernandez’s questions. He also addressed the importance of using the resources that CSUB has to offer. All of the alumni reiterated that it is extremely important to ensure that students always ask questions about what CSUB has to offer and how they can take advantage of that.
“All I can say is to find a mentor,” said Judy. “Find a mentor that you can trust because once you are out there in the work force, you can always use them as references.”
Taking advantage of the opportunities on campus was further addressed by Gillies. He advised students to volunteer as much as they can, on and off campus, because employers are always seeking applicants with experience. Gillies suggested that volunteering not only looks great on a resume, but the possibility of social networking also becomes greater. The more connections you make through sources at CSUB, the greater the chances are of getting hired, he said.
One of the final points that all of the panelists addressed is the need to go into a field that will bring success and joy.
Although the students were not able to ask the panelists questions directly, they still absorbed the viable information that was being given to them.
