Morgan Chambers: Attend Professional Networking Event (3 pts)

I ended this summer on a high! My summer research experience closed with a strong presentation that left me feeling ready: ready to take on the year, ready to apply to graduate school, and ready to do it all. Unfortunately, this high confidence did not last long as the stress of the school year quickly took a toll on my momentum and motivation to apply to graduate school. It had been a long few weeks of trying to find motivation to get started, and to my surprise, I was able to find that motivation at this years’ career fair. The last time I attended the career fair was my freshman year, and although I enjoyed my experience I didn’t find it necessary to attend during my sophomore or junior year, as my academic journey at Spelman quickly turned towards research and academia. While I wasn’t dreading attending the career fair, I also had low expectations about what I could gain from the experience. I was prepared to walk through a sea of large companies that had nothing to do with my field of interest. After attending the career fair, I was pleasantly surprised that I left with a reignited motivation to begin working on my post-grad plans. 

As expected, the fair was filled with lots of large companies, many of which did not fit my goals; however, I spoke with two companies in particular that piqued my interest. My first conversation was with Teach for America. During my Sophomore year, I served as a reading tutor in the Teach for America Ignite Fellowship. This was a great opportunity for me to connect my interests in psychology and education while making a difference in the lives of children. At the career fair, I had a conversation with Krystal Jacobs, the Spelman - Teach for America representative, and discussed the post-grad opportunities that the companies have. I was excited to learn that many Teach for America fellows are simultaneously enrolled in graduate school, which allows them to have a steady income while also furthering their education. I never considered the possibility of working for Teach for America while being in graduate school, so unlocking this path was definitely an aha moment. To continue our conversation, Krystal and I have a phone call scheduled for this Thursday. In our conversation I am hoping to further clarify Teach for America opportunities and learn more about the company.

I also spoke to the representative from Youth Villages. I was surprised to see a company like Youth Villages at the career fair, but was excited to learn about the company and their opportunities. Youth Villages is a non-profit organization that assists children and families with emotional and behavioral problems. The company offers a number of fall and spring semester internships, as well as an early start program for recent college graduates to serve as behavior specialists before transitioning to further education and promotions. My conversation with Youth Villages greatly interested me, as one of my goals is to gain additional clinical experience before entering graduate school. I talked with the representative in depth about their spring internship opportunities, and I am keeping in tune with company updates about the spring semester. 

Overall, my experience at my last career fair allowed me to get excited about post-grad again. My primary goal and focus remains graduate school; however, speaking with these companies gave me the confidence boost I needed to refocus. It also served as a great full circle moment that sums up the growth that I have experienced during my time at Spelman. I am grateful and glad that I attended!

Morgan Chambers