Counseling Showcases Alumni at Career Day for Juniors

By Tracy Edwards

FIGURING OUT THE FUTURE was made a little easier for Loyola’s junior class on March 10 at Career Day. The conference-styled event themed, “Transforming Potential into Professionalism” was a team effort led by Dr. Evelyn Mabra and Carol Hampson of the Counseling department with assistance from Mike Gilhooly ’88 in Advancement.

Revamped from years past, 36 panels of professionals from various industries, including business, law, entertainment and politics, shared their career journeys and insights. Of the 85 men and women who participated, 65 were Loyola alums from classes spanning 1967 to 2019.

According to Dr. Mabra, the overall goal of the day was to create an opportunity for career exploration and to showcase the multiple pathways to arrive at a desired job.

“Our goal was to bring in different perspectives and journeys to a career. It is so important for our students to be able to hear that messaging,” explains Dr. Mabra.

Panel topics were decided based on survey data gathered from the junior class. For Dr. Mabra, “The best part of the process was coming to the table and brainstorming which alums and Loyola friends could serve as voices for the topics.” Mike Gilhooly, director of Alumni Giving, assisted with recruiting many high-profile alumni to participate.

Once the panels and speakers were set, juniors were sent an email document, drafted by Ms. Hampson, with descriptions of panels and biographies of each speaker. Students were asked to prioritize their top choices and were designated three of the one-hour panels to attend. Sessions started with each of the panelists introducing themselves and telling the background story of their career journey followed by a Q and A session. Loyola counselors served as moderators.

“Juniors are in that place in life where they are figuring out what they would like to do in their next chapter, so to hear experiences from alums is so important,” says Dr. Mabra.

Career Day attendee, Sean Mortimer ’24 concurred, “For me, it was really valuable to ask questions and hear information from people who were once Loyola students, to see where they are now and how they got there.”