Houghton College’s Vocational Opportunities and Career Advising (VOCA) center will be traveling with a group of students to Washington D.C. over October break.
There, the students will meet with Houghton alumni who have established careers in the area. They will also have the opportunity to sight-see and tour the monuments in the Capitol. Director of VOCA, Kim Pool, and VOCA Intern, Jennifer Zacchigna ‘17, will be accompanying the students. “The purpose of the trip is for students to gain a better understanding about careers of interest. By visiting professionals at their place of work, they will see first-hand what a day-in-the life of that alum is like,” Pool said.
The idea originated from director of alumni engagement Phyllis Gaerte’s trip to Washington D.C. during fall break last year, where she met with Houghton alumni in the area. “This year, we thought it would be beneficial to include students so they could meet with the alumni,” Pool said. She noted, “The purpose of the trip is for students to gain a better understanding about careers of interest.”
Students will have the opportunity to meet with alumni as a whole group, and in smaller groups with various alumni. Pool noted they will all meet with Houghton alumni David Long ’90, who previously worked for the Department of Defense and now works in management consulting for CGH Technologies. In the small groups, students will have the opportunity to meet with alumni who align with their specific interests. Zacchigna noted the importance of seeing alumni in their career place, in that students can “learn more about their specific career interests by experiencing first-hand what a certain job might look like.” She explained “This might look like shadowing them at work or just meeting for lunch to see and hear about their work experiences.” The students will also have the opportunity to meet with alumni in a casual group setting.
The trip has generated interested in students such as Chandler Jones ’17, who is interested in working in D.C. in the future. “I’m interested in International Development and Law, and the trip will allow me to meet with people from organizations I can see myself working at in the future,” she said. Pool echoed this, noting the specific ways in which the trip can help students think about their future careers, such as being able to “discern if living and working in a large metro city is right for them.” Regardless of whether or not students see themselves settling in Washington D.C. or a metro city, Pool said, “I’m most excited for our students to network with alumni and establish professional connections.”