By Marisa Mata and Abigail Phillips with the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
At the inaugural Career Champions luncheon in August, the Career Development Center formally recognized Professor Betsy Hays with the Career Champion of the Year award.
Fresno State’s Career Development Center recently launched its new Career Champions program, designed to connect students with staff and faculty members who can assist them with career planning and decision-making. The luncheon allowed staff and faculty to learn more about the Career Champions program.
Abigail Phillips, a communication major and the marketing and events student coordinator at the Career Development Center, connected with Professor Hays to learn more about her efforts in championing students’ professional development.
Phillips: What does being a Career Champion mean to you?
Hays: It is such an honor! I’m so proud of the work we are doing in this space in the College of Arts and Humanities and can’t wait to see this movement continue to gain momentum and do so much more good for our amazing students. They deserve all of the tools we can provide to help them be more career-confident and career-ready!
Phillips: What inspired you to take an active role in promoting the Career Development Center to students?
Hays: I’ve seen first-hand how impactful this is for our students! For 20+ years my students have shared with me how valuable these efforts have been. I provide them with networking opportunities and assignments that help them be more career-ready, and we have many conversations about what it’s really like to work in the MCJ fields and what it will take for them to succeed. I encourage all of our faculty and departments to double-down on these activities with their students as well.
Phillips: What advice would you offer students who are beginning their career success journey?
Hays: Take advantage of all of the wonderful opportunities provided by Fresno State to get you career-ready. The online tools via the Career Center, the in-person workshops and career fairs, the speakers your faculty and department invite for you — it all matters and it all adds up to you being more confident, more prepared, and more ready to thrive in your post-college career! You’ve got this.
Phillips: What advice would you give to other faculty/staff members who would like to play an active role in supporting students’ success journey?
Hays: Know that all of your efforts will be worth it! The connections and networking opportunities you provide, the encouragement to access online and in-person resources, the conversations you have about careers in your fields — they all make a huge difference in our students’ success.
Career Champions grew out of the recognition that the Career Development Center is just one of the many places students go for career support. The program fosters collaboration and partnership between the Career Development Center and university professionals, ensuring students receive the most up-to-date resources, trends, data and information no matter where they go on campus for career support.
It also provides an opportunity to bring staff and faculty together for training, discussions, and brainstorming around career issues as they relate to Fresno State students in an effort to continue learning from one another.
The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State 