Fall Career Fair is Largest Yet With 180 Registered Companies
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With 180 companies registered, the maximum the room can hold, the fall Career Fair in the Wesley Student Center on Nov. 6 was the largest one yet, said Stephanie Boon, director of career services and fair coordinator.
The companies came from 18 states and there were 44 first-time attendees with each trade equally represented, offering students a wide range of employment opportunities- full-time career positions for seniors and summer internships for juniors and freshmen.
Boon said,“ It’ s great to have new companies in attendance. We expect them to return in the future as we develop relationships.
“ All students had multiple choices in their career pursuits, but the students have to do their part to make the right choice. They need to research the companies they are most interested in.”
She said the large attendance was due, in part, to the marketing efforts of the Office of Institutional Advancement.“ They got the word out that the Career Fair was approaching and that you needed to sign up early to ensure a place. We also got many new companies from the publicity we have received from Kevin O’ Connor, host of‘ This Old House’ on PBS, and Mike Rowe, host of the television show‘ Dirty Jobs.’ They both are spreading the word about us.”
“ The feedback I have received from students and company representatives also indicates to me how successful the fair was. Some students have thanked me for helping put this fair together because it is helping them find employment; they made great connections. It’ s reassuring when they let me know this.”
About 60 alumni were in attendance, representing their companies.“ It’ s great to have alumni at the fairs because students feel comfortable talking to them and they also show where a Williamson education can lead. This inspires the students.”
To ensure that all students knew how to get the most out of the fair, Boon met with the freshmen prior to the fair to give them advice. She also met with all the students so they would be well-prepared to take full advantage of the fair.
The Williamson Association of Alumni( WAA), in late October, had 19 alumni mentors meet with 60 students in the Wesley Student Center to provide an opportunity for students to learn about career pathways and career success directly from alumni. In the first half of the evening, students networked with the alumni. They then broke into small groups to discuss such things as networking, interview skills, and how to evaluate a job offer. All of the students participating agreed the event helped in their preparation for the fair.
For information on the fall 2025 Career Fair, contact Boon at 610-566- 1776, x419, or sboon @ williamson. edu.
Giving Tools-Day Surpasses Goal with $ 514,285 Raised
The Giving Tools-Day Legacy Scholarship fund-raising effort, with a goal of raising $ 500,000 to fund a student scholarship in perpetuity, was a recordbreaking success, with $ 514,285 raised, $ 14,285 over goal.
The donations came from 282 donors, 68 % of whom were alumni.
Helping reach the goal, was a very generous matching gift of $ 200,000 from trustee Tom Goeke 8W0, the second year in a row he made this offer.
Student Ambassadors calling alumni during the Fall Phonathon also helped the campaign, raising $ 22,857.
Thank you to all who helped make the 2024 Giving Tools-Day the most successful yet!
Trustee Tom Goeke’ s generous matching gift offer of $ 200,000 helped the recent Giving Tools-Day achieve its record-breaking total.
The fall Career Fair in the Wesley Student Center attracted 180 registered companies, including 44 first-time attendees. All of Williamson’ s trades were equally represented, offering students multiple career choices to pursue.
New Alumni Initiatives are Launched
Williamson College of the Trades and the Williamson Association of Alumni( WAA) are pleased to announce the launch of two new alumni initiatives –“ Our Williamson,” an Alumni Oral History Project, and“ Alumni Insider Sessions,” the WAA’ s version of a podcast that discusses topics of particular interest to Williamson alumni.
Our Williamson
The Alumni Oral History Project titled“ Our Williamson” is being offered through a partnership with Publishing Concepts Inc,( PCI). [ Formerly known as Harris Direct.] PCI previously partnered with Williamson to publish alumni directories as recently as 2016.
According to Laura Brown, director of alumni relations,“ PCI came to us over the summer with the opportunity to create a Williamson alumni oral history publication. We value the memories our alumni have from their time at Williamson, but with almost 5,000 living alumni, we do not have the resources to collect and document all the stories our alumni wish to share. This partnership enables us to preserve and celebrate the legacy of our alumni and Williamson. We hope all graduates will participate in the project.”
Over the next six months, PCI will work on Williamson’ s behalf to collect memories from alumni about their time at Williamson. The stories will be compiled into a hardbound book that participating alumni can purchase. It is not required to purchase a book to participate in the project, however.
To have a story included in the“ Our
Williamson” oral history project, alumni can contact the call center Mondays- Fridays, 7:00 a. m.-9:00 p. m.( CT), and Saturdays, 8:00 a. m.-4:45 p. m.( CT). The call center is closed Sundays.
For more information on the project, please visit williamson. edu / alumni / alumni-oral-history-project or call the Alumni Office at 610-566-1776, ext. 420.
Alumni Insider Sessions
“ Alumni Insider Sessions” is the second new initiative developed in collaboration with the WAA leadership team. As the college continues to grow and evolve, the WAA leadership team wanted to ensure that all alumni are up to date on the latest developments on campus and in the shops and academics. The Alumni Insider Sessions provide an opportunity for alumni to hear directly from college staff and faculty about topics of interest to alumni.
The sessions are conducted in a recorded Zoom meeting during which WAA leadership members and college administration have a dialogue around a particular topic of interest. The recorded sessions are then published on Tradesmen Connect, Williamson’ s exclusive, free online alumni networking platform, job board, and news hub.
The WAA plans to record two sessions per year. To access the Alumni Insider Sessions, visit williamson. alumnifire. com and create a free alumni profile. For more information or to suggest a topic for a future session, please contact the WAA leadership team at WAALeadership @ williamson. edu.