Alumni share insights about job experiences

California Baptist University’s Career Center hosted the second annual “Footsteps to Follow” event Nov. 3 in Stamps Courtyard, presenting eight alumni panelists who shared what their experiences were like going into the job force after graduating CBU.

Chris Hofschroer, assistant dean of students, asked questions of each of the panelists about life after college and their own personal experiences in the workplace.

The CBU alumni was made up of Lisa Prins, Bryce Huyser, Katie Wester, Ken Herrick, Ben Coe, Aaron Singer, Geoff Gouveia and Morgan Hydinger.

Lisa Singer, employer relations specialist and event coordinator at the Career Center, said the purpose of the event was to give students an opportunity to talk to peers and alumni closer to their age.

“You hear the experience from someone firsthand who is only a couple steps ahead of you,” Singer said. “We saw it was well-received last year, which turned it into an annual thing. It gives alumni an opportunity to pour what they learned after college into current CBU students.”

Each of the panelists represented a different industry, spanning fields from photography to civil engineering.

Wester, 24-year-old senior accountant at Soren McAdam, said life after college can be a difficult transition and wanted to inform students about the next steps.

“After this event, I hope students will take the opportunities and have goals to accomplish what they want to do in the workplace,” Wester said. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do or what it would look like so it is important for students not to be discouraged by that but continue to work hard.”

The event included free coffee and donuts from Arcade Coffee Roasters and Mom’s Mini Donuts, as well as raffle-prize giveaways from the Community Life Office.

Lindsay Wiggins, senior exercise science major, said she enjoyed listening to the personal experiences and different points of view about their jobs after graduation.

“As a senior, I found this talk motivational to get out there and try to network more and to use my professors as my
resource,” Wiggins said. “There was a lot of advice that was given, but I personally feel more prepared with their advice to go out into the real world.”