Co-op and Internship Panel Prepares Career Paths for Literary Arts and Social Justice Studies Students Thursday, November 7, 2019
"Because Point Park offers so many job fairs and panels, it is easy for me to weigh my career options as I prepare to graduate next fall. Also, the Department of Literary Arts and Social Justice faculty are lovely and encouraging. I really trust them when I ask for advice and help.”
Through a co-op and internship panel event hosted by the Department of Literary Arts and Social Justice, Point Park University students learned how their English, creative writing and social justice studies programs are preparing them for career opportunities in editing, publishing, event planning, teaching, nonprofit work and many other areas.
Panelists included English majors Nicole Matthews, former editorial/events intern for Creative Nonfiction Foundation, and Kait Regulbuto, former service camp staff member and guest house host for The Pittsburgh Project, along with Erin Howard, career counselor for School of Arts and Sciences students.
The panelists discussed with students when, where and how to find and apply to internships, co-ops and careers related to their courses of study.
"As the recent Association of American Colleges & Universities report on liberal education and the future of work shows, employers greatly value critical thinking, oral communication and written communication skills, all of which are heavily emphasized in our department’s course work," said Barbara Barrow, Ph.D., assistant professor of English.
“Something I learned from Nicole that I hadn’t considered before was checking the Carnegie Library website for opportunities. I also found it beneficial when she talked about taking a position outside of your comfort zone, showing willingness to work hard and working up to doing what you’re actually interested in, like the way she went from doing events to working in editing,” said Lorie Simonian, a senior English major from North Attleboro High School in Attleboro, Mass.
“I didn’t know that Handshake was so in depth, and I didn’t know that the Career Development Center worked so closely with our program. I will certainly be taking advantage of this,” said Alyssa Lowe, a junior English major from Brockway Area Jr./Sr. High School in Brockway, Pa.
"Dr. Barrow does an exceptional job at providing students with information regarding careers in their desired field. The panel reinforced this by demonstrating different career options and how to go about finding and applying to them,” explained Claire Kreider, a senior political science major from Waynesburg Central High School in Waynesburg, Pa.
Lowe added: “Because Point Park offers so many job fairs and panels, it is easy for me to weigh my career options as I prepare to graduate next fall. Also, the Department of Literary Arts and Social Justice faculty are lovely and encouraging. I really trust them when I ask for advice and help.”
More About: Department of Literary Arts, internships, English, co-op program, creative writing, social justice studies, student workshop, Career Development Center, School of Arts and Sciences