A common question for college students nearing graduation is, "What's next?" According to a May 2024 Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab, 68% of college students feel at least "somewhat" apprehensive about life after graduation. To help ease that uncertainty for students in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) | Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the Office of Undergraduate Academic and Career Advising has launched CareerReady, a carefully crafted program that leads students through career preparedness objectives, from their first year to graduation.

Networking Locally

One important component of CareerReady is the advising office’s immersion trips, where A&S | Maxwell students visit companies to gain insight into a wide variety of industries and work cultures. The immersion program initially consisted of two yearly trips to New York City: The Winston Fisher Seminar, which started in 2007, and the Stocks and Finance Immersion, which started in 2015. Through these experiences, students discover how a liberal arts degree prepares them for success and forge valuable connections with industry leaders and Syracuse University alumni in the finance and business sectors.

Following the high level of engagement and interest in the New York City immersions, the advising office explored ways to involve more students and more industries. They began offering a series of local immersions, where students spend a day visiting various companies within a specific field based in Central New York. These immersions, which are planned by Kristen Aust, director of career advising for A&S | Maxwell, and Matt Wheeler, director of employer-alumni relations for A&S | Maxwell, as well as many A&S | Maxwell advisors, offer students perspective on potential career paths and provide them with greater confidence in making decisions about their future because they can hear from actual practitioners about their path to achieving success.

Students listening to a presentation during the Stocks and Finance Immersion in Fall 2024.

In Fall 2024, A&S | Maxwell advising offered three programs in Syracuse: Psychology Immersion (Oct. 18), Stocks & Finance Immersion (Nov. 8) and Pre-Law Immersion (Dec. 6). The reception from students has been resoundingly positive, as over 90% of students surveyed who took part in the local immersions said they gained valuable knowledge about career options through these experiences.

Helping Students Plan Their Future

Diana Bonilla-Prado, a first-generation college student majoring in political science in A&S | Maxwell and minoring in information management and technology in the iSchool, took part in the pre-law immersion and found it both motivating and empowering.

“This trip gave me insight on what I’d like to do, what my liberal arts degree can be used for, and has helped me plan for my future,” Bonilla-Prado says. “During one of our meetings, I met a woman of color who shared a similar ethnic background with me. Being able to make that connection was incredibly inspiring and resonated deeply with me.”

Sylla Diallo, a double major in African American studies in A&S and international relations in A&S | Maxwell, also attended the pre-law immersion. He said hearing from legal professionals and learning about their educational and career paths gave him a better understanding of the commitment and dedication it takes to be successful in that field.

“Visiting each law office, getting to know experienced leaders in the field and being a part of the environment that I’d like to work in was extremely valuable,” he says. “Through this immersion, I have affirmed that I would like to pursue delivering justice and fairness to members of my community.”

Connecting with Employers

These are exactly the results Aust and Wheeler were looking for when launching the initiative. Like the New York City-based immersion trips, the local immersions provide students with insight and access to employers and career opportunities. Local employers, in turn, benefit by connecting with talented SU students who may become future interns or employees. Alumni have also been eager to get involved, as it allows them to mentor current Orange students and stay connected with the University community and fellow alumni through networking events.

“Local immersions allow us to make this all happen in close proximity to the University,” says Wheeler. “It strengthens Syracuse’s connection with the local community and helps students find opportunities, such as internships, near campus.”

Meet Matt Wheeler

Wheeler is the A&S | Maxwell director of employer and alumni engagement. In this role, he focuses on connecting students with alumni and employers to help them gain knowledge and mentorship, as well as internship and career opportunities. He also manages experiential learning programming and an alumni connection program for students. Through the alumni-student connections program, he has facilitated more than 1,600 connections and engaged more than 1,000 alumni and 1,300 students in four years.

Wheeler hopes that the connections made with local employers will also lead to more students pursuing full-time employment in Central New York. As a smaller city than New York, Washington and Boston, he says students are often able to have a different experience working for local companies, personally and professionally.

“They can often have a greater impact at local companies or find a more suitable work-life integration,” says Wheeler. “We want to show students that this is an option that may align better with their preferences and values. Some students overlook the benefits of working for smaller companies or living in smaller communities.”

Calling All Students

For students interested in participating in an upcoming immersion, here’s a list of the Spring 2025 offerings, both in Syracuse and elsewhere:

• Psychology Immersion in Syracuse (February 28)
• Winston Fisher Seminar in New York City (March 9 – 14) - Applications closed
• Health Immersion in Syracuse (March 21)
• Government Immersion in Albany (March 28)

To sign up, visit the Handshake links above.