The Department of Career and Professional Services at Albertus Magnus College helps students in developing, evaluating and implementing a career and professional development plan. Gaining ‘real world’ experience is incredibly important in understanding your coursework on a practical level. The workforce has changed drastically in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and our students are adapting to these new guidelines, completing their Fall semester internships remotely, in-person, or in a blended format.
“Experiential learning is through the experience of “doing”, with hands on applications and problem solving, inside and outside the classroom. These experiences improve student success in terms of graduation rates and achieving post-graduation goals for further education and career development.” Dr. Hilda Speicher, Professor of Psychology.
Meet a few Albertus students who are taking their classroom knowledge into the workforce.
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Mawuena Awudo is a current Criminal Justice major at Albertus Magnus College and will be graduating in May 2021. Due to the pandemic, Mawuena had to search for an internship that he could work remotely from home. With the help of the Office of Career Services, he obtained an internship at the Connecticut Judicial Branch in Hartford, CT. More specifically, he joined as a part of the ‘Experiential Learning Program.’
Despite the adjustment of being completely online, the work assigned to Mawuena has been able to help build his resume and professional skills. “It went above my expectations; I would highly recommend other students to do this internship.”
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Katherin Martinez is currently a Psychology major at Albertus Magnus College, and will be graduating in 2021. Keeping up with athletic training this semester, she also had an on-ground internship at the Educational Services Program at Prendergast School, in Ansonia, CT.
Katherin was able to network with those in her field and create lasting bonds that can help her upon graduating. Working directly with the children at Prendergast, Katherin now plans to take an online course to become a certified Registered Behavioral Technician.
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Ketjon Dedej is currently a senior at Albertus Magnus College, graduating in May 2021 with a Bachelor of Art in Graphic Design. Ketjon was on-ground at his internship at the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce in Wallingford, CT. Being in-person gave him the experience of being a part of a team in a professional office environment.
Having interned for a semester, Ketjon obtained many new experiences within his field of study. He states he has “improved in group environments, and has gained more interpersonal skills. At the chamber, internships are a great help towards guiding students to where they want to go.”
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Katrina Jones is a senior majoring in Human Services, and will be graduating in May 2021 from Albertus Magnus College. Katrina completed her internship locally at the New Haven Adult & Continuing Education Center.
This internship allowed Katrina to work with people from all different ages and backgrounds. The training provided in her program has helped her better understand the needs of others and how to respond effectively in the workplace. Katrina will soon be able to enter the workforce with this new experience and navigate smoothly, in part to her time at the New Haven Adult & Continuing Education Center.
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Richard Oman is currently a Business Management student at Albertus Magnus College and will be graduating in May 2021. Richard had the opportunity to do an on-ground internship at the Stone Agency in Guilford, CT. As this was an educational experience, he was able to learn different coverages that the company offers clients. It wasn’t long before Richard was speaking to policyholders and helping them with their insurance!
Besides learning the technicalities of the job, he also learned soft skills; such as effective communication strategies. Ready to graduate and take on the world, Richard states that “I gained a great deal of experience and confidence from this internship that will help me with future jobs.”