Scranton Students Take Steps Toward Careers, Grad Schools

By Marcus Smith '27, Student Correspondent

Students from all majors at The University of Scranton gathered Thursday in the Byron Recreation Complex’s gymnasium to make plans for their future careers or graduate schools.

The Roche Family Center for Career Development held its semesterly career exposition to help students investigate potential job opportunities.

Rose Jacklinski, the center’s career relations manager, is one of the driving forces behind the expositions each semester and it was no different this fall.

“My goal is to encourage as many students as possible from all majors and graduating years to attend,” Jacklinski said.

The expo isn’t just for upperclassmen either, Jacklinski explained.

“First- and second-year students can benefit from this, too, by building those professional skills, carrying yourself, looking at that resume and LinkedIn profile. There’s so much,” she said.

According to Jacklinski, over 300 students attend the expos each semester.

In addition to all the ordinary services provided, those students have the ability to connect with alumni of The University of Scranton to further their careers.

“It is a great opportunity and it's great to see how our students and our alumni are networking,” Jacklinski said.

Shawn Kennedy '10, G '14 is one of those alumni of Scranton and is the director of the graduate and adult admissions programs at Holy Family University. He is especially eager to find students from his alma mater for the programs he runs.

“I definitely love the experience that Scranton students bring into a community,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy praised the unique strengths Scranton students have which suit them in their careers and graduate programs.

“I love how academically prepared students are coming from these different programs. I always love someone who kind of knows what they're doing or what they're thinking about like career goals. It doesn't always have to be so defined, but knowing that they want to further their experience. We can have conversations about what might be the best way to lead themselves,” he said.

The career expositions have great effect since Scranton students are hired at remarkable rates.

Ninety-nine percent of Scranton's undergraduate class of 2024 has reported success in their intended fields, according to the most recent First Destination Survey conducted by the Center for Career Development.