As graduation draws near and seniors begin to prepare for life after college, Castleton students have taken the initiative to help ease the transition by organization and hosting creative events on campus that prepare students for the future.
On March 18 Castleton held its first Design Night, a concept created and executed by senior and woman’s hockey team member Molly Howard. The event focused on showcasing career options in the field of design, while allowing students the opportunity to network with a panel of successful working professionals.
“I wanted students to hear what to prepare for from professionals, so they know what to expect when looking for a job,” said Howard.
Students who attended receive direct insight into the design industry and unique perspectives on career options after graduation.
Howard, who started planning the event in October, received a wide range of positive feedback from her peers on the event and was praised by the Communication Department Chair Bob Gershon.
“I thought it went really well and it’s definitely nice hearing positive things about it afterward,” said Howard.
Also preparing students for post-college life was the Game of Life Financial Reality Fair. Organized by Castleton students with support from Heritage Family Credit Union, the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, the Castleton Academic Support Center and Career Service, the event marked the university’s first financial literacy event of its kind.
Similar to the board game Life, Students began by selecting a potential career, such as Social Worker, Teacher, Accountant or Athletic Training, and proceeded to build a monthly budget based on an average starting salary for their profession.
To arrive at their bottom line for the month students visited stations around the 1787 Room staffed by 50 volunteers to learn about options in housing, transportation, food, night life, electronics, furniture and a cell phone plan.
Participants ended the experience by meeting with a financial advisor to review their budget, and factor in student loans, credit card expenses and their randomly assigned credit score.
“Students appreciated the chance to have a glimpse of their lives to come and practice some financial decision making,” said Director of the Academic Support Center Kelley Beckwith, adding that the event drew in a crown of more than 100 students. “One student reported that the event made him realize how much things cost and got him planning for the future.”