Rice students kicked off the new year by focusing on their career development journey

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January Jumpstart Event Picture

By Natalie Festa, CCL Student Staff

As the Rice community returns to begin a new semester and year, it does so in a remote format and a week later than initially scheduled. But to many, these adjustments may seem rather small when they are compared to the challenges posed to the community in the past year. Students, faculty and staff have already worked together to develop numerous classes and programs that are compatible with hybrid learning models and with community members spread across the globe. A moment of extraordinary collaboration and creativity has swept over the campus, and its latest product took place during the winter recess. January Jumpstart, a brand-new program intending to "jumpstart" the professional and personal development process for students, was hosted by the Center for Career Development, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry, Student Success Initiatives, and the Center for Civic Leadership from January 11-15. 

The idea for January Jumpstart emerged when many students indicated an interest in winter break programming in light of the semester pushback on a survey administered by Dean Gorman's office. Early in the process, the offices involved decided to collaborate to create a multifaceted program that could meet different interests. Leaders from each office brainstormed what a week of engagement could look like, what resources each office could offer to the program, and how the program could help students to navigate future opportunities in the spring semester.

"We most wanted students to walk away from the week with three main things: an awareness of the resources and opportunities available; the reflective skills and tools to intentionally pursue activities that aligned most with their values, motivations, and goals; and to have built a sense of community with each other and staff across the university to encourage them to reach out for help and support in pursuing those goals," explains Dr. Danika Brown, Director of Curriculum and Fellowships for the Center for Civic Leadership. To meet these goals, different aspects of the program were divided across the offices and each office came together to design the curriculum. These components included the formation of small reflection groups, the development of the virtual Forager One platform, the facilitation of various workshops, and the organization of critical reflection themes and goal setting activities.

The week-long program included workshops for students to learn from career experts, and asynchronous content and peer reflection groups for students to reflect on their own journey and path forward. Over 140 students of all years and academic disciplines participated, with a concentration of freshmen and many upperclassmen and a few graduate students also in attendance.

Students attended workshops to help navigate the career development process, with topics ranging from LinkedIn etiquette to real interview skills, as well as a virtual opportunities fair. For Joshua Fang, a Hanszen freshman, a new sense of confidence emerged after participating in January Jumpstart: "[The workshops] gave me the tools to embark on my career development journey with confidence. I also gained confidence in navigating the long, winding path of career development with resilience. These lessons will help me make progress in my career development process over the next semester and beyond."

An essential part of the program was the integration of professional and experiential learning opportunities with spaces to reflect and set goals with peers. Shawn Fan, a Martel senior, was motivated to help facilitate these reflection groups because of his small-group experience as a participant in the Urban Immersion program prior to his freshman year. "I hoped to provide a similarly constructive and open discussion environment for participants at January Jumpstart," Shawn stated.

Through critical reflection, students were able to process what they learned and experienced each day. Just a semester from his graduation, Shawn utilized January Jumpstart as a period to reflect on his own career development journey. "Professional development is a non-linear process with a lot of uncertainties, which is a theme that seemed to echo throughout January Jumpstart as well. I thought I would major in chemistry and then go to medical school but ended up in research at the intersection between neurobiology and computer science. I believe we should be prepared to adjust our career paths to align with our evolving interests and values." 

While the past year has presented unique challenges, the Rice community has risen to the occasion quite remarkably, meeting these obstacles through ingenuity and collaboration. "All of the offices found the experience of collaborating and of hosting a meaningful experience for students in this time of uncertainty and isolation immensely rewarding," reflects Dr. Danika Brown, "We hope to continue offering shared resources that support students in engaging at Rice and in identifying exciting future trajectories."

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Rice Memorial Center, Room 208
6100 Main St.
Houston, TX 77005

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Email: ccl@rice.edu

 

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