To: Family members of underclass students at Denison
From: Kristy Barngrover Clear ’10, Associate Director, Alumni & Family Engagement
Date: March 8, 2018
Relationships are at the heart of what makes Denison a special college and the world is taking note. Check out this piece recognizing the value of
Denison's approach to mentoring in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Ways your student can make the most of their summer: A message from Hank Malin P'15, Executive Director, Knowlton Center for Career Exploration
Summer is fast approaching! Regardless of how your student is spending the summer, I hope you will encourage him or her to:
Reflect
The summer is a natural time for students to reflect. Help them to do so. Ask them what they've learned over the previous nine months, what skills they have attained (inside and outside the classroom), which professors or speakers inspired them, and what career fields are now of greater (or lesser) interest to them because of what they learned.
Read
Encourage your student to read…yes, even though they have been reading for classes the past nine months. "Reading" can mean reading a book or article, listening to a podcast, or watching a TED Talk. Encourage them to read about industries, organizations, and leaders. There's plenty to learn!
Reach Out (a.k.a. Networking)
As you know, it's never too early (or too late) to start reaching out to people who can help you explore careers. If your student "doesn't know what to say" in a networking email (or phone call) to an alum or a family friend, engage in this skill-building opportunity. Provide them with some ideas or offer to read a draft of their first e-mail. Don't judge, just help. And, of course, remind them to send a thank you note after every interaction!
If you’re interested in helping other Denison students this summer, here are three ways to do so:
1) Connect with Students - Denison has partnered with technology platform Wisr for Denison alumni and parents to help students with questions about career paths, industries of interest, graduate school choices and more. The Denison Wisr Network can pull your LinkedIn profile into the Wisr platform. Students can search the platform and reach out to alumni and parents with questions or request a short 15 to 30-minute phone conversation. All communication is easily managed through an email inbox. Alumni and parents can provide advice to fellow Denisonians without a commitment to a long-term program. Please
sign up with Wisr here.
2) Externships - Externships are easy! It's basically job shadowing for a full or half day. If you're interested in hosting a student, send an e-mail to
Heather Whitehead with the subject line "Externship Info." Include your name and where you live and work in the body of the e-mail, and we'll reach out to you.
3) Internships - Internships are longer-term opportunities (usually 6-10 weeks) for students to work at an organization. They can be paid or unpaid. If you're interested in learning more, send an e-mail to
Liz Morrison ’06 with the subject line of "Internship Info." Include your name, and where you live and work in the body of the e-mail, and we'll contact you!
Have a great summer!