During the month of March, College Possible Washington hosted three virtual career panels for our students and team members. We invited professionals from 10 different industries so that attendees could explore an array of potential career paths.
Each of the panelists described their individual career journeys and how they got to where they are today. Some shared what they love about their jobs: “I think it’s really cool to talk to a group of individuals and take that data and turn it into a larger story.”—Marisa, Institute for Human-Animal Connection
They also answered questions from students and shared tips and words of advice: “As a graduate student, I realized how important networking is. Try to take advantage of all those career services on campus as much as you can.”—Thea, Seattle University (and College Possible AmeriCorps alumna)
These career panels were centered around feedback we received from students. Each event was scheduled in the evening to accommodate busy schedules, and we incorporated as many different careers into each panel as possible to give students a variety of choices. Panelists were broken up into breakout rooms based on their industry so students could choose the areas they were most interested in. During each panel session, students were able to visit two different breakout rooms.
More than 75 students attended these panels and we heard that students appreciated getting more information about choosing a major, finding internships and learning how to network: “I learned that it’s great to have a variety of different experiences regardless of your career path, and to always engage in activities that interest you when given the opportunity.”—Dalia, student attendee
Thank you to all of our panelists who volunteered their time to share their experiences and advice with our community. We’re truly grateful!
Emily Cichosz, St. Joseph’s Medical Center
Allie Deneen, Dakota Dental and Wellness
Cameron Drake, Boston College Law School
Brittany Erwin, B’s Bagels and Butters
Corey Goldstein, Franklin High School
Marie Gregorio, Ransom Everglades School
Sue Hammerton, Nurse Practitioner
Síofra Herr, SpaceX
Thien Hoang, medical student
Scott Iwata, Wunderman Thompson Commerce/Gorilla Group
Thea Karakalos, Seattle University
Erin Kleber, Epic Systems
Emily Kohn, Children’s Hospital Colorado
Katie Lindquist, The Fearey Group
Patricia Loera, University of Washington
Judy Margrath, Team Read
Olivia McCulloch, Dell Technologies
Abbey Meyer, Buzzfeed
Marisa Motiff, Institute for Human-Animal Connection
Dana Musgrave, Banner Health
Max Patek, Meta (FKA Facebook)
Floyd Pierce, Colorado Financial Management
David Raphael, K&L Gates
Michael Reber, Blue Origin
Lakch Saraf, Cigna
Louise Saraspe, Bristol Myers Squibb
Michele Scheetz, Project Self-Sufficiency
Becky Standal, Longview Public Library
Tare Surial, Mission Wired
Lauren Treacy, College Possible
Mitra Vahdati, Communities in Schools of Seattle
Greta Vanden Heuvel, Deloitte
Lin Wilder, Health District of Northern Larimer County
Abel Ykalo, Microsoft
