Career and Community Engagement Center programs include:
Alumni Networking and Mentoring — The CCEC provides numerous networking and mentoring opportunities for students and alumni to communicate about careers, internships, grad school, civic engagement and jobs. Whitman Connect is a searchable database of thousands of alumni who have volunteered as resources for students and fellow alumni for professional development and mentorship. Several times a year the CCEC co-hosts Whitties Helping Whitties networking receptions around the country in collaboration with Alumni Relations. The CCEC also offers formal and informal opportunities through our career coaching initiative for students and alumni to connect and build meaningful, supportive relationships.
America Reads/America Counts — The CCEC hires 20-30 work-study students every year to provide math and literacy support via individual and small group tutoring to students in Walla Walla public school K-12 classrooms. Whitman students with prior experience working with youth can pursue this professional experience to test their interest in a possible career in education.
Career Development and Education — Whitman’s Career Coaching initiative connects every incoming student with a career coach from our Center, a guide throughout their Whitman experience to help them consider and connect to an expansive array of resources and opportunities that will help them shape their future. Students can schedule to meet with CCEC coaches via Handshake or search the CCEC website for resources to help with any part of the career development or job application process. Our career coaches can help students:
- identify and create a career plan for their futures
- review resumes, CVs, and cover letters
- identify and utilize job resources
- build a professional online presence on LinkedIn
- start graduate school planning
- apply to CCEC and other internship programs
CCEC staff provide skill-building workshops for students to boost career and life readiness. Interested students, staff and faculty members can email the office to arrange to host a workshop for their class, group, team or club. SCAs are student liaisons in the CCEC who offer career education, review resumes, and cover letters, and help with Whitman Internship Grant applications. A vast array of self-guided, on-demand career development content and recorded videos are available to students 24/7 via the Handshake resource library.
Career Platforms — Whitman’s job and internship search platform, Handshake, includes thousands of postings for internships/full-time/part-time positions applicable to students and young alumni. Handshake allows students to schedule appointments with CCEC staff and learn about events sponsored by the CCEC and employers from across the country. Additionally, Career Pathfinder is a career assessment tool that gives students insights into their work preferences and industries that match their interests, while also providing search tools to identify opportunities.
Community Engagement (CE) Programs — We strive to build strong, sustainable relationships with community partners that create opportunities for students to collaborate with members of the Walla Walla community. Through volunteer experiences, students support projects and initiatives identified by our partners as positively contributing to the community and their organizations’ purposes.
Additionally, we create opportunities to build students’ leadership, and personal and professional development through the CE leadership program that supports paid CE student leaders in a cohort experience. CE Leaders engage the Whitman community in volunteer direct action, education, and reflection opportunities that address social needs and inspire civic responsibility through experiential learning. Student leaders coordinate ongoing programs that engage hundreds of student volunteers each year in consistent engagement and special events. The CCEC team provides opportunities for individuals and campus groups to consult with staff to generate volunteer opportunities.
Community Fellow Program - Intended as a capstone experience for highly engaged students, each year a cohort of juniors and seniors spend the year working part-time on a community-based project with one or more of our partner organizations through the Community Fellow Program. This program provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the community and extend professional learning opportunities.
Employer Engagement — CCEC staff plan many opportunities for students to hear from and connect with recruiters, professionals, and alumni working in organizations around the country. With a focus on the West Coast, employers may be represented in person or virtually through small information sessions that allow direct student interaction. The Center also hosts two Job & Internship Fairs each year. These are ideal opportunities for students to engage with employers while learning about different fields, internships and job opportunities.
Fellowships and Grants – The CCEC Fellowships and Grants team assists Whitman students and alumni in their application and candidacy for nationally and globally competitive fellowships, scholarships, and awards. Ultimately, the goal is to help students think deeply and critically about issues, ideas, and values; about their lives and the lives of others. Equipped with self-reflection, they will better know who they are and what they might contribute to the community. Having put their critical thinking to the test, they will have a better vantage of the larger world around them and their humble yet essential place in it.
Internships — Internships add to a student’s college experience by allowing them to practice professional skills, obtain a deeper understanding of the world of work, and develop research questions for their major course of study. Students are encouraged to apply for paid internships available using CCEC resources or to develop an experience that best suits their interests. The Center manages the Whitman Internship Grant Program, which provides funding for nearly 200 students annually to experience high-impact internships at organizations that are not able to pay them.
Much more information about the CCEC can be found at: whitman.edu/ccec