‘Careers Beyond Co-op’ Event Brings Together Employers With Alums and Students
The College of Engineering co-op team hosted the 2024 Careers Beyond Co-op event during the 115 years of co-op celebration, which took place during Homecoming Weekend. The interactive event united alums and current students with co-op employer partners for a day of sharing career journeys and co-op’s impact.
“We wanted to build community,” says Lorraine Mountain, assistant dean for co-op and senior co-op coordinator. “When brainstorming this idea, we realized that the co-op experience is the common thread for most of our alumni.”
Present were alums, undergraduate seniors, and employer partners representing 75 companies from a range of fields. As part of the programming, an hour of networking granted alums and undergraduate seniors a unique opportunity to connect with each other and employer partners. For Ed Holmes, E’87, civil engineering, and director of technical training and development at DN Tanks, the networking hour allowed him to speak to multiple key audiences under one roof.
“I thought the entire program was extremely helpful because I was able to catch up with faculty members and enjoy the opportunity to speak with students, which is always something an employer loves to do,” he says. “It also allowed us to speak to the other co-op employers and share best practices and new ideas.”
The career design team was present to assist attendees with their LinkedIn profiles, resume refreshes, and updated headshots. Attendees were also invited to take a guided tour of the EXP Makerspace.
Opening the event was a panel of alums, moderated by Sara Grier, E’09, electrical engineering, MS’17, engineering management. The panel discussed their career journey experiences in their respective industries. They were also present to advise attendees on how to nurture their careers and overcome challenges.
“These spaces are so important for building community and learning from each other,” says Joanna Banegas, principal talent acquisition partner at Revvity. “I learned so much from that panel in terms of how to be your own leader and navigate a complex organization.”
The event’s success has inspired Mountain and her team to explore ways to reconnect alums and employer partners with the Northeastern community and engage them for future co-op opportunities. “I was very proud to see the depth of the impact it had on all of our stakeholders,” says Mountain.
See our Careers Beyond Co-op photos and videos:
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The Careers Beyond Co-op event united employer partners with students and alums under the shared values of co-op through multiple networking opportunities and a panel moderated by Sara Grier, E’09, electrical engineering, MS’17, engineering management (bottom left, second from right).