OUR VALUES
MISSION
The Hegi Family Career Development Center empowers students and alumni to cultivate meaningful lives through career development, continuous learning, and professional growth We provide relevant experiential learning opportunities for students to gain tangible skills that position them for professional success. Through these experiences, we equip students and alumni to find their passion and purpose to navigate careers for a lifetime.
STRATEGIC GOAL
PILLARS
FROM THE SENIOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Hegi Family Career Development Center achieved several goals in 2023-2024, including aligning campus-wide career services under a new platform (12twenty), increasing support for special student populations, strengthening ties with academic colleges, & moving the Hunt Leadership Scholars Program under the Hegi Center
The Career Development Team expanded career counseling & programming for students, completing 2,713 appointments & launching a Case Competition event for all majors The Employer Relations Team, in addition to planning career fairs & employer events, focused on building relationships with campus-wide career services teams, leading to more collaborative events The Hunt Leadership Scholars Program transitioned to the Hegi Center from the Office of the Provost in July 2023 & has since
since settled into a strategic position under our umbrella of services & programs. Through these efforts by the entire team, the Hegi Center has continued to advance the goals of our strategic plan.
Goal 1: Optimizing Technology & Data Began transition to 12Twenty with the Office of Institutional Technology & professionals from 12Twenty.
Goal 2: Increased Support for Special Populations
Ensured inclusive programming through growth of the DEI Internship Program & service expansion.
Goal 3: Align Practices with Campus-wide Career Services Community Cultivated programming collaborations by expanding campus-wide employer relationships, including this year’s Employer Symposium, a partnership between the Hegi Center & Cox Career Center
Goal 4: Maximize Connections with Campus & Academic Partners Continued campus partnerships to increase student engagement, specifically with the Meadows School & Dedman College
Goal 5: Enhance Counseling Capacity for Continued Expansion of Services Academic year appointments increased by 29%, thanks to adding two more career counselors
Goal 6: Amplify Student Voice Continued use of Hegi Career Leaders & Hunt Scholars as influencers
As we finish Spring 2024 and prepare for Fall 2024, I'm eager to continue working with the Hegi Team, Hegi Board, students, and campus partners to improve student resources & programming at the SMU Hegi Family Career Development Center
Best regards,
DR. CRYSTAL L. CLAYTON
Senior Executive Director, Hegi Family Career Development Center & Hunt Leadership Scholars Program
STUDENT HIGHLIGHT: MARIA MURAD
Maria Murad, Class of 2026, is a recipient of the Hegi Career Leaders 2023-2024 Emerging Leader Award. In the Spring of 2024, Maria reflected on the impact that the Hegi Career Leader program has had on her college experience thus far.
Hello, I'm Maria Murad, a sophomore at SMU pursuing a triple major in Creative Computing, Corporate Communication, & French I've completed internships in data analytics & technology consulting at Verizon and EY Jordan The Hegi Career Leaders program (HCL) has been a great highlight of my college journey as it helped me grow both inside and outside the classroom
Hegi Career Leaders has been a game-changer for me This program helped bridge a crucial gap in traditional education by providing me with real-world experience and guidance. I’ve realized that while classroom learning offers a foundation of knowledge, navigating the outside career world demands practical exposure & mentorship - precisely what the HCL program offers.
m has been one of the er made Having been ant during my first year ege of working closely udents, helping them paths Additionally, I’ve networking events and as able to fine-tune my gies, and grow more am becoming only helped me grow also had a significant growth I’m incredibly nities it provides to SMU
CLASS OF 2024
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
BBA,Finance;BS,ManagementScience HegiCareerLeader,FredHegiLegacyAwardWinner
Location:Dallas,Texas
Post-Grad Plans: Project Finance Analyst, Leeward RenewableEnergy
MORENO
&Culture;BBA,Finance Leader,CareerConsultant,HuntLeadership
Location:Dallas,Texas
Post-GradPlans:Analyst,JPMorganPrivateBank
TRYG AANENSON
BS,EconwithFinancialApplications;BS,StatisticalScience HuntLeadershipScholar
Location:Dallas,Texas
Post-Grad Plans: International Research Team, Federal Reserve
BBA,Finance;BA,Economics HegiCareerLeader,FredHegiLegacyAwardWinner
Location:Dallas,Texas
Post-GradPlans:PublicFinanceInvestmentBankerAnalyst, HilltopSecurities
ALINE NGUYEN
CADEN ARRAS
REEMA BOUSABA
BS,StatisticalScience;BBA,Finance HegiCareerLeader,CareerConsultant
Location:NewYork,NewYork
Post-GradPlans:CIBPaymentsAnalyst,JPMorganChase
ng;BBA,GeneralBusiness
yvania candidate, Carnegie Mellon
BS,BiologicalSciences HegiCareerLeader,CareerCaptain
Location:KansasCity,Kansas
Post-Grad Plans: MD Candidate, University of Kansas SchoolofMedicine
HuntLeadershipScholar
Location:KansasCity,Kansas
Post-GradPlans:FSOBusinessConsultant,EY YLOR
BA,PublicPolicy;BS,EconomicswithFinancialApplications
HuntLeadershipScholar
Location:Dallas,Texas
Post-GradPlans:JuniorLitigationParalegal,Kirkland&Ellis
CREYTON HUNT
GRIFFIN VAIL
SMU CAREER CLOSET PROGRAM LAUNCH:
The SMU Career Closet was launched in Fall 2023
The program's goal is to empower SMU students on their career journeys by providing new and gentlyused professional attire free of charge It is a joint effort by the Cox Career Management Center, the Office of Social Change and Intercultural Engagement, and Hegi Family Career Development Center Over the summer of 2023, alumni, faculty, staff, SMU families, and employer partners donated over 2,000 articles of clothing to the Career Closet.
The program kicked-off with a Pop-Up Shop event on August 30, 2023, attended by over 750 students to “shop” for free professional attire Of the 500+ surveyed attendees, 90% expressed interest in future Career Closet events
The next Career Closet Pop-Up Shop event is planned for August 28th, 2024 Donations to supply this event will be accepted at the Hegi Center through August 20th.
"I feel like this event would really help all students get the clothes they need for professional events that they can't afford! I'm sure lots of other people like me don't have any professional clothes and jumped in excitement for it."
STUDENT ATTENDEES , ITEMS DONATED
"This event was very helpful. Before this event, I had limited career clothing, but now I have many more options to wear to interviews and networking events. I would love more events like this."
PROGRAM LAUNCH:
CASE STUDY COMPETITION
The Hegi Family Career Development Center hosted its first annual Case Competition on March 7, 2024 Twenty-two students were split into five teams, competing head-to-head to pitch their resolution to a panel of six judges from various industries, three of whom were SMU alumni This competition included a rigorous 6-week program, kicked-off on February 1
with a mixer for students, judges, and Hegi Center staff; the following weeks included virtual check-ins with judges and pitch practice sessions with Hegi Center staff This process highlighted the business acumen of many non-Cox students, enabling them to participate in a consulting project and amplifying access to students, regardless of major.
JUDGES & PARTNERS
CASE: Ivan Roussev Senior Manager
Machine Learning & AI, EY; Hegi Board of Directors
JUDGES:
Jorge Baldor Entrepreneur; SMU Meadows School of Arts executive board member
Alex Brody Sr. Director of Business Development, Texas Legends; former Hegi Career Leader
Ben Lee Software Engineering Consultant
Adam Neal Assistant Director of Research Programs, SMU Office of Engaged Learning
Eduardo Yanez Pastene Assistant Vice President, Digital Product Owner, CITI
22 STUDENTS
5 TEAMS
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION
AFFINITY-BASED PROGRAMMING
The Hegi Center also hosted opportunities for students to learn and connect. The Center presented five events focused on various affinity groups. These events include:
“Pathways to Success” Panel with the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, October 2023
“Career Talk” with guest Jorge Baldor, October 2023
“Fade to Black” panel, February 2024
“Women in the Workplace” Panel, March 2024
“EmpowerHER” Negotiation Workshop, March 2024
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS
The Hegi Family Career Development Center is proud to continue to facilitate three internship programs: Engage Dallas; the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Internship Program; and the unpaid internship program.
The DEI Internship Program aims to provide internship and professional development opportunities to students from underrepresented populations. The Hegi Center also partners with the Department of Residence Life and Student Housing to present the Engage Dallas internship program, which provides students with the opportunity to Housing intern at Dallas area community partners. partn1s)
For the summer 2024 experience, 28 total partner organizations have been accepted to sponsor program internships (17 DEI internship partners and 11 Engage Dallas Internship partners) offering 30 total placements to students.
28 COMMUNITY PARTNERS
30 STUDENT PLACEMENTS
$69,750 TOTAL FUNDING AWARDED
HOST ORGANIZATIONS
After8toEducate Arm Candy
The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center
Brother Bill's Helping Hand Business Council for the Arts
City of Dallas - Keep Dallas Beautiful Crowned Scholars
The Dallas Furniture Bank
Dallas Hope Charities
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas Symphony Association
Dallas Voice | OUT North Texas
Empowering the Masses Foundation for CHOICE Heart House
Jubilee Park and Community Center
kNOwBOX dance
LULAC National Educational Service Center of Dallas
Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center Meadows Museum, SMU
Mission Oak Cliff
Orchestra of New Spain
Our Savior Community Gardens
Readers 2 Leaders
Ryan White Program, Dallas County Health and Human Services
SMU - Engage Dallas Intern
Wesley-Rankin Community Center
World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth
JAVON BROWN
Class of 2024: BBA, Marketing Summer 2023
Marketing Intern, Heart House
Dallas, Engage Dallas Internship
“Working at Heart House this summer gave me the professional and leadership development skills that I needed I was able to gain real-world marketing experience and help create a campaign for North Texas Giving Day I will forever be grateful for this opportunity”
SIMRAN MISRA
Class of 2026, Economics & Political Science Major Summer 2023
Learning Programs Intern, Perot Museum, DEI Internship
“This internship was such a valuable opportunity for me to grow professionally. By interacting with older employees, participating in meetings, and assisting various staff members, I learned to adhere to a more professional sense of dress, conversation, and communication”
JOYCE SUN
Class of 2026, Psychology Major Summer 2023
Heroes Intern, Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center, DEI Internship
“The internship has provided me a lot of opportunities to get a foot in the door of the professional world such as how to build connections, manage and oversee projects, and conduct yourself professionally”
119 TOTAL EVENTS
MOST ATTENDED EVENTS
SMU
Fall
Spring All Majors Career Fair
Financial Jobs for Econ Majors Panel
Applied Economics Panel
Fall 2023 Open House
Econ Degrees in Financial Jobs Panel
Networking Towards the New Year
Econ Degrees in Other Fields Panel
4,350 TOTAL EVENT CHECK-INS
2,333 UNIQUE EVENT ATTENDEES
2,713 CAREER COUNSELING APPOINTMENTS
249 EMPLOYERS HOSTED
Total participating corporate partners (on& off-campus events)
40 RECRUITING EVENTS with Corporate Partners
33 CAREER DEVELOPMENT EVENTS
STUDENT INTERNSHIPS
CAREER LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS
HEGI CAREER LEADERS & CAREER CONSULTANTS
The namesake leadership program of the Center continued to positively represent the career-mindedness of SMU students. The Hegi Career Leaders program, established in 2018, graduated its third gradgrad
uating class of 11 students, with over 120 students participating in the program this year The Hegi Career Leaders program provides high-performing undergraduate students with opportunities to develop their career leadership potential through a variety of learning experiences and interactions.
Participation in the Hegi Career Consultants program is one such opportunity. These carefully selected undergraduate Career Consultants provide essential assistance to the Hegi team while gaining invaluable leadership experience During the 20232024 school year, five Career Consultants presented 16 professional development workshops which were attended by a total 90 students These programs, facilitated by the Hegi Team, presented information on a range of topics, including resume tips, cover letter guidance, and best practices for Linkedin and networking The Career Consultants also assisted Center staff by conducting 425 peer career counseling appointments, greatly impacting the Center’s bandwidth and campus footprint
Hegi Career Leader award recipients with (front center left to right) Brian Hegi, partner at Crossplane Capital; Fred Hegi, founding partner of WinGate Partners; and Peter Hegi, founder and president of Braxton Advisors
CADEN ARRAS (ABOVE)
Hegi Career Leader, Class of 2024 BBA, Finance; BS, Management Science
Recipient of the inaugural 2024 Campus Impact Award
WILLY MACCLUSKEY (BELOW, LEFT)
Hegi Career Leader, Class of 2024 BBA, Finance
Recipient, 2024 Fred Hegi Legacy Award
ALINE NGUYEN (BELOW, RIGHT)
Hegi Career Leader, Class of 2024 BBA, Finance; BA, Economics
Recipient, 2024 Fred Hegi Legacy Award
D FELLOWS PROGRAM
The SMU Board Fellows Program is now in its seventh year of partnership with the Office of Social Change and Intercultural Engagement Founded in 2018, this program allows selected students to serve expects
ing members on the Board of Directors s area nonprofit
nts applied for this opportunity and 11 lows were selected for the 2023-2024 year, with two students returning for a m This program plans to expand in the school year, continuing to raise awareness of community causes while highlighting the strengths of SMU students
CARL FIRCH
Class of 2026, Texas Ramp Project
After seeing his grandfather’s struggle with Parkinson’s, Carl saw how a ramp trantrans sformed his quality of life. “Witnessing the unwavering commitment of TRP board members to their mission of constructing ramps and assisting those in need filled me with excitement and motivation to contribute”
ARTNER BOARDS
Cancer Support Community North Texas Junior Achievement of Dallas, Inc.
Texas Ramp Project Vogel Alcove Equest
Juliette Fowler Communities Kids-U
HUNT LEADERSHIP SCHOLARS
The Hunt Leadership Scholars Program transitioned to the Division of Student Affairs under the purview of the Hegi Family Career Development Center on July 1, 2023 Jade Weaver was hired as the Associate Director for the Hunt Leadership Scholars Program on July 31st and oversees the daily operation and management, under the supervision of Dr Crystal Clayton, Senior Executive Director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center
This program offers up to 25 incoming students an opportunity to attend SMU by providing financial assistance for individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership ability and potential. In individuals
addition to scholarship aid, students are provided the opportunity to study abroad, participate in annual retreats, enroll in leadership courses with their peers, and attend lectures and other events with distinguished guests Hunt Scholars are expected to maintain a 30 cumulative GPA, exhibit exemplary conduct, meet with their program advisor on a regular basis, and to hold leadership positions in student organizations and within the Dallas community.
spring 2024, 57 candidates were ted to campus for Interview Week. This two-day event included a mpus tour, college luncheons, els for prospective students and ents, as well as dinner with current nt Scholars, the Hunt Family, and gram administrators. Candidates participated in interviews for the 0 available program positions Of se 57 candidates, 18 students have n selected as Hunt Scholars
CAREER COUNSELING
The Hegi Family Career Development Center has seen an increase of 29% in student outreach and counseling appointments during the 2023-2024 academic year The Center is projected to complete 2,757 appointments by the end of July 2024 This reflects a 42% increase in appointments over the past 2 years
The Center’s Career Development Team also successfully met its goal to complete career counseling appointments with 20% of the total undergraduate student population, representing a 6% increase over the prior academic year. The team aims to connect with 25% of undergrads within the next 2 academic years.
2,713
29%
APPOINTMENTS
APPOINTMENTS
COLLEGE
p y g
employers and helping employer partners work to meet their recruitment goals Through these events, the Center hosted 249 unique employers on- and off-campus in a variety of ways, including:
DEI/Engage Dallas Internship Hosts
Board Fellows Hosts
Tabling and Info Sessions
Career Fair participation
Networking receptions
Site visits and job shadowing
Professional Development sessions
Hegi Career Leader meetings
Employer onboarding sessions
SIGNATURE EVENTS:
All Majors Career Fair
Resumania & Mock Interviews with Employers
Professional Development Sessions
Site Visits & Employer Lunch n’ Learns
Networking Events
Panel Events & Fireside Chats
participation from previous years. A total of 158 employers bringing a total of 337 representatives were able to interact with 1,135 student attendees seeking internship and job opportunities.
2023-2024 CAREER FAIRS
1,135
EMPLOYERS
STUDENT ATTENDEES
HEGI
EMPLOYER PARTNERS
MARKETING
The Hegi Center has made significant strides in increasing student brand awareness The academic year began with a brand image refresh designed to better align with SMU & division brand standards. This included revamped print collateral, such as a new "Start Here" guide to the Hegi Center, promotional branded stickers, and more.
A renewed focus on digital marketing has shown promising results. Integration of a new social scheduling platform, Sprout, allowed for a more intentional social strategy, leading to a significant increase in digital presence; social engagement increased 168%* , and more notably, the social click rate saw a 554% increase*, with particular success on LinkedIn The Center's weekly email newsletter, "Get Hired With Hegi", achieved an impressive 37% open rate* , surpassing industry averages 37%
We thank you for your continued support of our efforts to empower SMU students through career development.
HEGI FAMILY CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER
OUR TEAM
SENIOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Crystal Clayton, EdD
Senior Executive Director, Hegi Career Development Center & Hunt Leadership Scholars Program cclayton@smuedu
CAREER DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Evan Saperstein, MEd Associate Director, Career Development esaperstein@smuedu
Marshay Booker, MEd Assistant Director, Career Development mbooker@smuedu
Kelsey Carroll, MA Assistant Director, Career Development carrollk@smuedu
OPERATIONS
Shanyta Rider Coordinator II srider@smuedu
Alyssa Schertz, BA Marketing Specialist aschertz@smuedu
Yajaira Diaz, MS Assistant Director, Career Developement ydiaz@smuedu
Cassin Dyson, MA, MEd Assistant Director, Career Development cydyson@smuedu
EMPLOYER RELATIONS TEAM HUNT SCHOLARS
Amanda Bobo, MBA Associate Director, Employer Relations abobo@smuedu
Lauren Searway, MEd Assistant Director, Employer Relations lsearway@smuedu
David Sommers, MEd Assistant Director, Employer Relations sommersd@smuedu
Jade Weaver, MEd Associate Director, Hunt Leadership Scholars Program jadew@smuedu
HEGI FAMILY CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
VP for Sales - Central Region, Okta Senior Packaging Engineer, Qorvo
Brian Hegi Partner, Crossplane Capital
Peter Hegi President, Braxton Advisors
Sandra Beach Lin Board Director & Member
Kay Braly SMU Mom's Club Representative
Kevin Hanrahan President, Optimus Recruiting, LLC
Paul Hoffman Retired Human Resources Executive
Monica Lira Bravo Board Certified Immigration Attorney, Lira Bravo Law PLLC
Ken Malcolmson President & CEO, North Dallas Chamber
Patricia Porter Independent Arts Management Professional
Ivan Roussev Senior Manager Machine Learning & AI, EY
Dr. Gretchen Smith Associate Dean for Students, SMU Meadows School of the Arts
Marcy Wright SVP, Corporate Development for InContext Solutions
