Kick-Off gets fourth-year students off to good start

More than 90 students attended the first-annual 4th-Year Kick-Off, which took place Wednesday, Sept. 18, to get a jumpstart on planning for the future in a fun and informal environment.
“Our inaugural 4th-Year Kick-Off was a huge success,” says Maddie Health, Assistant Director of the CEO. “We brought campus partners together, along with employers and graduate programs, for this campuswide initiative to engage fourth-year students with thesis resources and career resources while also having fun with their friends playing carnival games and enjoying lunch.”
Students gathering in the Sudakoff Conference Center had the ability to meet campus partners as they were connected with campus resources that will help ease the transition into career planning and post-graduate life. Staff from the Counseling and Wellness Center, SAuCE office, New College Foundation, the Writing Resource Center, Quantitative Resource Center, and the Student Success office were  in attendance. Advisers for pre-med and pre-law programs were also on hand as representatives from the new Thesis Living Learning Community.
“Students have control to create their own path, and it’s important to be intentional and plan it,” says Heath. “We also hoped that students would begin to understand that career planning and their academics happen simultaneously, so that they feel prepared (and not stressed) to transition from college to their post-graduate plans.”
The CEO plans to meet with all fourth-year students for a 20-minute appointment to discuss post-graduate plans and immediate next steps. Over 40 appointments at the 4th Year Kick-Off were already scheduled and students were entered into a drawing to win one of three Success Gift Packs that included thesis paper, resume paper, and a professional padfolio.