Hood College- Navigation, Summer 2009 - 15

16 HOOD MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2009 First Year + Career Center = Engagement A student’s ﬁ rst year can be at once exhilarating and overwhelming. As Hood ﬁ rst-year students embark on a career development path, they are encouraged to engage in the Frederick community by volunteering. Many new students come to Hood with a proven commitment to service that continues throughout their college years. Th is provides them with personal satisfaction, real life experiences and connections in the community where they may one day intern or work. Kara Cruice ’09 (center), George Waxter, D.D.S., Linda Ryan and Jennifer White are some of the people who provide services at the Mission of Mercy’s free mobile medical clinic. Steve Bearman ’09 Steve Bearman knew that at Hood, he would have the opportunity to make a diﬀerence. And he knew, even as a ﬁ rst-year student, that the career center would hold the keys to his success. Steve initially visited the career center during his ﬁ rst year at Hood, just to get to know the staﬀ. He wisely recognized that down the road the career center could help him get the one thing he would need to be more marketable, that coveted internship that would get him one step closer to his career goal. “They’re the people that are connected to the community,” Steve said. “I took advantage of everything they oﬀered.” The biology major worked with career consultant Christina Stevenson, who helped him prepare and reﬁne his résumé and cover letter. Their collaboration paid oﬀ when he landed an internship with Frederick-based DynPort, a world-class biopharmaceutical company. Encouraged by the career center and buoyed by a need to give back to the community, Steve joined the student-led Hood Service Association and served as the organization’s president during his senior year. “I liked that the group met the needs of the community,” he said. “I was searching for a way to leave my mark.” And leave his mark is exactly what Steve did. With the help of Yvette Webster, coordinator of service learning, Steve contacted the English Language Learner program coordinator for Frederick County Public Schools, recruited a handful of other Hood students and began what became a very successful homework and tutoring club at West Frederick Middle School. “I wanted Hood students to become better known in a positive way in the community,” he explained. “I wanted the public to know that they can turn to us ﬁ rst when they need help.” Sophomores + Career Center = Discovery Most students enter college with an idea of what their majors will be and many graduate with something diﬀerent. That is the beauty of a liberal arts education; it encourages students to explore many disciplines while discovering new interests. The career center staﬀ helps guide students through this process, encouraging them to think broadly and to ﬁnd a path that best suits their skills and interests. Sarah Johnston ’12 When it came to acquiring leadership experience, rising sophomore Sarah Johnston knew just where to go. Realizing that the November  presidential election was a pivotal one for her and other college students, Sarah saw an opportunity to connect her fellow classmates to the election process through Rock the Vote, a national nonproﬁt and nonpartisan organization devoted to engaging young people in the country’s political process and building their political power. Knowing she needed help to organize what could be a monumental task, Sarah turned to Yvette Webster. “Sarah is very service-oriented, civicminded and a great student leader,” Yvette said. “Th is was the perfect learning opportunity for her.” Under Yvette’s guidance, Sarah had the opportunity to try new skills and learn ﬁ rsthand how to turn ideas into reality. Her contributions to the success of the months-long project—student volunteers registered more than  voters and helped numerous others with their absentee ballots—will go with her well beyond Hood College. “Hood and the career center have prepared me in many ways,” Sarah acknowledged. “I feel more equipped to go out in the world as a true global citizen.” Kara Cruice ’09 It takes a special individual to attend to the needs of others who cannot support themselves. Frank and Betsy Cruice always dreamed that their eldest daughter Kara would become a nurse. Kara, who graduated in May, initially chose to pursue a degree in biology as a ﬁ rst-year student. She soon realized that the discipline focused primarily on laboratory work, as opposed to human science, so she switched to psychology in hopes of concentrating more on analyzing behaviors. Her goal of becoming involved in medical missions remained at the forefront, but she was concerned that she wasn’t receiving adequate training for such an undertaking. That’s when she approached Nancy Hoﬀ man Hennessey ’, director of career services and service learning, and together, Nancy and Kara decided that nursing was the right choice for her.

Hood College- Navigation, Summer 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hood College- Navigation, Summer 2009