Wofford’s Career Center recently kicked off the fall semester with its inaugural Career Center Experience, a three-day professional development program for rising sophomores, juniors and seniors.
The program, held Aug. 25-27 in Burwell Building, connected about 50 students with alumni and experts offering career guidance in health care, real estate, human resources and other professions.
Three career treks enabled students to explore Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, The Johnson Group, PwC Spartanburg, Fifth Third Park and Milliken & Co.
“We want to set students up for a successful academic year and to connect them with resources that support their career ambitions,” says Curt McPhail ’96, executive director of the Career Center. “We’re fortunate to have alumni and local leaders who are eager to share their insights and open doors for students.”
The program started Aug. 25 with a dinner and sessions centered on resumes, LinkedIn and networking development. The next morning, students had their headshots taken before a breakfast and keynote in the Montgomery Room delivered by Ricaye Harris ’05, vice president of human resources, corporate support and diversity, equity and inclusion for Milliken & Co.
Harris emphasized attributes companies look for when recruiting new talent: passion, problem-solving skills and proven performance. She encouraged students to be authentic.
Then, students broke into smaller groups for three alumni panel discussions followed by three career panels covering health care, banking and accounting, and sports and marketing; and three post-graduation preparation panels. After that, participants networked over lunch before students departed for the career treks.
The program’s last day featured a talk from Claudia Albergotti Ruffin ’11 followed by sessions focused on next steps: utilizing the career center, developing interview skills and resume review and checks.
Margeaux Stapleton ’26, a biology and Spanish double major from Lexington, South Carolina, plans to pursue a career in neonatology. She decided to participate in the program to connect with alumni and grow her network.
“I’ve always known I want to go into medicine, but I’m still building a network,” Stapleton says. “Making connections with those who have been where I want to go has been incredibly valuable to me.”
Don Douglass ’27, a finance major from Spartanburg, says his commitments as a student-athlete on the men’s basketball team make it tough for him to seek out internships and other experiences. He decided to participate in the program to bridge that gap.
“It was really great to hear from our alumni,” Douglass says. “I want to do the things that they are doing. I think this shows that we have a great community that is engaged and involved.”
McPhail says he and his team plan to host the program again next year and are looking forward to its continued growth.
“While working to invite alumni and employers to come back and participate in the event, it was incredible to see the instant excitement and willingness that all had to come to campus with the common goal of supporting Wofford students,” says Dr. Laura Love, director of external relations for the Career Center. “I’ve been impressed by the Wofford community and look forward to continuing our work with our alumni and employers.”
Written by Wofford College.
Photograph: Curt McPhail ’96 (second from left), executive director of Wofford’s Career Center, leads students on a career trek to Fifth Third Park, the baseball stadium currently under construction west of downtown Spartanburg.