Meet the Staff: Kristen Eckman, Marketing Intern

I began my marketing internship with the CO-OPS + CAREERS Department at the start of the spring semester knowing one thing; I wanted to be a part of a team. Through my time spent with the department, I can now say that team dynamics and workplace culture will most certainly be deciding factors for me when applying for and ultimately accepting a full-time job offer after graduation.

I am currently an undergraduate senior at Emmanuel College majoring in business management with a concentration in marketing and minoring in economics. And if you couldn’t already gather from my fields of study, I was unsure of what type of position I would be pursuing post-graduation. Creative marketing, specifically social media marketing, however, has been an interest of mine since high-school. I was given the opportunity through my high school’s DECA chapter to create social media marketing plans and compete against students nationwide, which ultimately sparked my love of creative marketing. I was then able to branch out into event planning through my first marketing internship at ENERGYbits. There, I oversaw coordinating a new product launch party, booking and attending multiple sports and fitness expos, and planning and marketing sponsored work-outs with the ENERGYbits team.

If I were asked to give one piece of advice to those searching for an internship or co-op, I would tell you that experience in the field you are interested in should be among your top priorities. Second to relevant work experience, you should be inspired to do what you love. I was touched by one of my marketing research professors while at Emmanuel College. She brought into the curriculum her own marketing plans and projects that she had completed for agencies over her many years in the marketing field. Her experience was something I could connect with and envision for myself. While working on marketing research projects alongside my professor, I realized my attraction to higher education. It was always in the back of my mind that I would like to teach one day, to inspire and guide students in the way that I have been throughout my academic career. It was not until my internship with the CO-OPS + CAREERS Department that I could confirm, higher education is the environment where I feel I truly belong.

This decision, I will warn you, was not an easy one. There is no straight path to your dream job and choosing a career involves strenuous self-reflection. With that, I will say that internships and co-op opportunities are essential to shaping your career path and I would not be where I am today without the academic and professional guidance I received throughout my college career. The guidance I refer to includes not only your own experiences, but informational interviews with successful alumni in your major or intended professional industry, and informational meetings with your professors and Co-ops + Career Advisors. Through my internship I have learned that you have overflowing resources here at Wentworth to help you along your career path, do not be afraid to reach out! The CO-OPS + CAREERS Department, myself included, are here to help you make the most out of your co-op experience.

As always, feel free to stop by CO-OPS + CAREERS to discuss co-op opportunities or talk professional development with your Co-op + Career Advisor. To contact us stop by 101 Wentworth Hall, email coopsandcareers@wit.edu, or call 617-989-4101.

Meet the Staff: Ria Kalinowski, Co-op + Career Advisor

I started working in the CO-OPS + CAREERS department at Wentworth in June of 2016. Joining the team here at Wentworth was the culmination of many years working to land a permanent career development position at a small career-focused school. After graduating with my Masters in Counseling Psychology, I worked with young students on the autism spectrum while trying to figure out where I wanted to take my career. Through informational interviews, I discovered that career development was the perfect fit for my desire to help others become successful, my talent for analyzing problems and finding creative solutions, and my interest in technology. Leveraging the connections I had made through my informational interviews, I volunteered at several college-level career development offices in the area. Meanwhile, I gained additional experience in higher ed in both career development and admissions at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. Working in a contract role in the Career Development department at Northeastern was the next step towards my goal. Along the way, I also joined the Career Counselors Consortium Northeast for additional networking opportunities and training.

Working with the CO-OPS + CAREERS team at Wentworth has been a dream come true. I enjoy working with Wentworth students as they really appreciate the support and knowledge that our office provides. I advise Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering Technology, Computer Engineering, Computer Engineering Technology, and Interdisciplinary Engineering students. Gaining an understanding of these industries through employer interactions, site visits, engaging with faculty, and professional organizations such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has been fascinating. My favorite site visit thus far has been learning all about underwater robotics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, MA.

 

Meet the Staff – Sara Dell

Originally Sara Dell, Associate Director of CO-OPS + CAREERS at Wentworth, planned to be a Professor of Anthropology.  She earned two degrees before learning that she liked to work in teams and preferred seeing immediate results from her work.  So, she left her PhD program and instead, having come from a family of small business people, went to work in industry.  First in large corporate banking (in Foreign Exchange – the cowboys of banking, where 20 million dollars is traded into Yen in less than a minute) and then in a series of small startups and emerging growth companies in various industries including Buzz marketing, entertainment, and green technology.

Starting in operations and finding she liked working with people, Sara’s mentors encouraged her to specialize in Human Resources.  She found herself hired as employee number ten and the only operations person working for the 6-foot redhead CEO, and University of Cincinnati DAAP program alum.  She wanted her creative company to have co-ops.  The company had two interns the summer before Sara arrived and she grew the program to where there were co-op students in almost every department.  At one point, the ratio of co-ops and interns to staff was 1:3.

Working with co-op students became her favorite part of her job and so she decided to shift to Career Services in Higher Education.  Through a series of informational interviews, Sara landed an Assistant Director role at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago where she advised students’ full-time on their careers and finding co-ops and internships.   She found she loved working with engineering and technology students, appreciated being part of a team and was energized when a student would come in with a co-op, internship or a full-time offer.

A few years later, having lived 20 years in Chicago, Sara wanted to return home to New England.  She missed the region and her family.   When she saw the open position at Wentworth Institute of Technology, the school reminded her of her current school, but with the added benefit of a co-op program.  She applied and got the offer.  Hired as a CO-OP + CAREER Advisor, Sara is now the Associate Director, running the co-op program.  A career that started with building a co-op program in industry has grown into overseeing the co-op program here at Wentworth.   Sara’s journey has come full circle and she is back in Higher Education on a team who works with students’ full time. Sara celebrates every time a Wentworth student lands a co-op!

Meet The Staff – Robbin Beauchamp

I have been the Director of CO-OPS + CAREERS at Wentworth since September 2014. I joined Wentworth knowing that I wanted to work with students who know what type of career they aspire to having and are dedicated to getting it. I always thought I would end up at a business school, such as Bentley or Babson, and I am thrilled to be at a technology school as college graduates of STEM programs are distinctive and highly desired by organizations.

Wentworth is unique due to the co-op program and being the person who gets to direct it is both humbling and exciting. In my research, I am hard-pressed to find another college in the US that requires every undergraduate degree student to complete two co-ops to graduate. It is a privilege to work with students who are committed to their career paths and understand the value that CO-OPS + CAREERS offers them to achieve their goals. Employers love hiring our co-op students and new graduates. We hear from employers every day about the quality of the education the students are receiving. It is a joy to work here.

I arrived at Wentworth having worked in career services since 1999 and in Human Resources for 10 years prior to that. I am fortunate that I could transition into higher education career services and bring with me the experiences I had working in television and radio, financial services, medical research and a clinical environment. I can share my knowledge of benefits administration with students, explaining how compensation is much more than just a salary. I can share my experience of being a recruiter, providing students with interviewing strategies that set them apart from other candidates as well as writing excellent resumes and cover letters that open the doors to those interviews. And I can share my knowhow of employee relations to educate our students to be the best employee and stay clear of legal obstacles that may hinder their employment. I use these same skills to help employers write impactful job descriptions, assist them to develop recruiting strategies to entice our students to apply for their openings and coach them on how to be excellent supervisors of our students. Coming from Human Resources provides me with unique skills in career services and I am grateful for them.

As a director, I am unable to have a student case load, but I do see students during Drop Ins and enjoy it very much. After all, it was my desire to work with students that brought me into this profession. Like all professions, the higher up the organizational ladder you climb, the further away from the clients you often get. However, I work with a GREAT group of Advisors and Operations people who are so dedicated to our students. Together, we bring employers to campus to meet our students, plan educational networking events and find innovative ways to connect employers, students, alumni and faculty. I love my job and working for Wentworth. I am a very lucky person.