With so many career options, deciding what to pursue after graduation can be very daunting for students. To prepare graduating students make this decision, Lambda Pi Eta, the Communication Arts Honor Society, launched a new signature event in order to help guide students through viable options. The Life After College Alumni Panel provides valuable advice on life after college from Communication Arts alumni to future Communication Arts alumni.
The inaugural event gave students a glimpse of the career paths past alumni have taken, provided advice from alumni as to how to better prepare for the workforce, and explained how to seek recommendations from the career services representative in regards to interviews, résumés, and careers.
“It was great to hear alumni sharing firsthand experiences of their successes, and also sharing their tough moments,” said Gaby Garcia, graduating Communication Arts senior. “The career services part of the panel came at the right moment for me because I had a job interview scheduled the very next morning. I used the advice from the presentation to ace my interview and land the job!”
This year’s panel featured recruitment consultant Jimmy Gamito from WilsonHCG (’12), realtor Stephen McDuffie from Real Living First Service Realty (’14), fashion blogger Keila Perez (’13), and Darren Gregory from FIU Career Services. Each alumnus answered a variety of questions, including why they chose Communication Arts, how their degree has helped them excel in the workforce, and what advice they have for graduating students. Most importantly, the guest panel addressed what most graduating students have on their mind: how they obtained their first position after graduation.
Traditionally, Lambda Pi Eta plans two events a year, Life After College during the spring semester and Graduate School 101 in the fall semester. Lambda Pi Eta is the National Communication Association that rewards outstanding scholastic achievements while simulating interest in the communication discipline. Since 2013, FIU has hosted a university chapter of the honor society in recognition of students with a high level of academic excellence in the communication field.
Photo (L to R): Scott Esh, Keila Perez, Sarah Hernandez, Jimmy Gamito, Gaby Garcia, Stephen McDuffie, and Johari Canty.
