Posts

Staff Changes at CCPD: Welcoming a New Assistant Director and Bidding Farewell to a Longtime Colleague 

Last Academic Year at the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) brought significant staff changes, marking both a new beginning and a heartfelt farewell.  We are excited to announce that Alejandro Alaniz ‘18, hired as Career Coach in Summer 2023, has been promoted to Assistant Director. Alaniz, a native of the Rio Grande Valley, […]

New PE/Wellness Class Utilizes Design-Thinking for Career Development  

Tailored for all students, from first-years to seniors, “Design Your Path” equips them to make informed decisions about their next steps at Kalamazoo College and beyond. The CCPD hopes to offer this course again in the future.  Impact of course on student participants  Students completed pre- and post-course assessments for this course and reported a […]

Career Launch: Empowering First-Generation College Students 

Our new colleague Alejandro Alaniz ‘18, ran the CLIPP program this year. He said, “I’m thrilled with the incredible growth and achievements we’ve seen from this year’s CLIPP cohort. Their dedication and passion have truly set the bar high, and I can’t wait to see the next group take on new challenges and continue building […]

Exploring Career Paths: Psychology Majors Engage with Alumni

This past spring, the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD), in collaboration with the Psychology Department, offered newly declared psychology majors a unique opportunity to explore their career possibilities through an innovative approach. Typically, Hornet Huddles—career conversations that connect students and alumni in one-on-one or small group settings—take place outside the classroom. However, this […]

Chicago Externship Trek: Connecting Students with Alumni and Career Opportunities

In June, the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) piloted the Chicago Externship Trek, offering first-year and sophomore students a unique chance to explore career paths through job shadows in Chicago. Running from June 12 to June 14, 2024, this initiative provided 20 students with hands-on experience and valuable networking opportunities with alumni.  Innovative […]

Linguistic Skills in Professional Communications

In a remarkable collaboration this fall, K’s Spanish Department partnered with the CCPD on a specialized assignment for Senior Seminar Students. Career Coach Alejandro Alaniz ’18 hosted students for one-on-one mock interview sessions conducted exclusively in Spanish. Engaging in professional conversations and interviews in Spanish not only bolstered their language skills but also instilled confidence […]

Earn While You Learn: Propel Your Career with the CCPD

Are you a looking for an enriching part-time job on campus? Do you want to work on your own career development? Do you thrive on helping others in reaching their goals? If so, we have the perfect role for you! The Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) is currently seeking students to join our […]

Bridging Academia and Career: CCPD and English Department Collaboration

This winter, Ryan Fong, Associate Professor of English contacted the CCPD to collaborate with him for the English Department’s “Introduction to Literary Theory and Research Methods” class.  The partnership aimed to harmonize academic exploration with career readiness, empowering students to seamlessly connect their intellectual pursuits with their professional aspirations. An assignment, titled “Educational Design,” guided […]

Earn Credit for Summer Internship 

The CCPD is collaborating with faculty to pilot a course series for students to earn credit for their summer internship. Marin Heinritz, Associate Professor of English, and Valerie Miller, Director for the Center for Career and Professional Development, are developing a two-course sequence and an asynchronous summer module that provides students with tools and activities […]