Shannon Hargrove is the Director of Experiential Learning at the College, and assists students and alumni in the Career Center. Shannon notes that one of the most rewarding experiences in her role is building relationships with students: “I especially love it when students inform us that they landed the internship or job they were pursuing.” She recalls a story of a December 2023 graduate who was recently offered a job in his field. Shannon assisted the recent grad in the brainstorming process to research potential employers, which led to a successful recruitment and interview process.
The Career Center produces a variety of career and professional development programming for students each semester. This academic year, our “STAC Your Future” events encompass “STAC Chats” (a speaker series), recruitment events (job and internship fairs), and networking opportunities. These programs are organized in partnership with each of the College’s four schools to ensure the content compliments areas of study students’ interests.
The “STAC Skills Immersion Program” is a multi-day, interactive, professional development program designed to provide key insights for experiential learning and/or post-graduation job search. Most recently, twenty-five students in the January 2024 cohort developed their professional brand, learned search strategies, networking approaches, interview skills, and more — all, while working in small teams to prepare and present a company profile of an organization from Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Shannon notes how the Career Center collaborates with a variety of faculty and student clubs to bring workshops and presentations on topics such as: Leveraging LinkedIn, Salary Negotiation, Mock Interviews and industry talks with professionals. “We also organize trips where students can visit employer sites, and recently visited Hachette Book Group, Valley Hospital, and Brookhaven National Lab.”
Shannon’s mentions how her role as Director of Experiential Learning allows her to support students in their career exploration, professional development and preparation for experiential learning opportunities, careers and graduate studies. “When we are not in the classroom or planning/delivering a program, the team and I can be found in the Career Center where we meet with students 1-1 to discuss majors and career pathways, help them develop their resume or cover letter, share resources for pursuing internships, jobs or professional development programs, and prepare for interviews.”
The Career Center offers resources for both students and alumni, a robust alumni network, and job-search guidance. St. Thomas Aquinas College prides itself on empowering its students from their first day on campus all the way into their successful careers.