New Fund Helps Students Achieve Career Success
Last spring, Jeremy Reid ’25 (left) met Mark Weller ’07 through a job-shadowing experience. Weller (right) connected Reid with people in his network, and Reid now works at Met Life.
Donor-funded program helps students explore paths, build professional skills
by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson
Imagine you’re a hiring manager, and you have the resumes of two recent grads in hand. Their grades and extracurriculars are identical, and they both interviewed well. But one attended a national conference and completed an in-demand certification. Which one would you hire?
Removing financial barriers
Dickinson’s new Professional Development Fund helps students take advantage of employer-friendly opportunities that can make a big difference in a competitive job market. Supported by gifts to the college, the new fund provides small grants to cover students’ registration fees, travel expenses and other costs associated with valuable career-exploration and skill-development experiences.
Since its launch in spring 2025, the fund has removed financial barriers for students to take part in:
- industry-specific competitions, such as the BNY Mellon UpPrize Social Innovation Challenge, focusing on tech-driven projects to create positive social change, and hackathons, which can help launch tech careers
- professional conferences, including the Grace Hopper Celebration for women in tech and the NABA Conference for future accounting and finance pros
- job-shadowing experiences and industry-specific events that expose students to career paths and employers and help them build professional networks
- and online-certificate courses, which add to students’ workplace-ready skills.
“These experiences help Dickinsonians turn ambition into achievement,” notes Annie Kondas, executive director of the Center for Career Development. And the returns on these investments are already in view.
Small investments, big returns
Boriana Yotzova ’26 (chemistry) attended the Future Chemists Workshop & Cosmetic Chemistry Suppliers Day in NYC and is now exploring opportunities in that specialized field. Aaron Shin ’28 (computer science, mathematics) completed advanced training in software development that directly aligns with his intended career path.
Jessica Edem ’28 (biology) attended A Day in the Life of a Perelman Student, a conference geared toward helping her prepare for medical school. “Hearing from a pediatric doctor who shared my background was particularly impactful,” Edem says. “I found immense encouragement in her words and in her journey.”
Jeremy Reid ’25 (international business & management) received hotel and travel costs to take part in a job-shadowing experience with Mark Weller ’07, a certified financial planner. That confirmed Reid’s interest in the field. After Weller introduced him to professionals in his network, Reid was hired as an agent with New York Life Insurance.
‘Life-changing’ experiences
The new fund is part of a robust suite of donor-supported career initiatives available to Dickinson students. Last year, gifts to the college helped unlock opportunities at the Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit; a Career Trek trip to Washington, D.C.; multiple student certifications and EMT training; six employer and career trips to major corporations and organizations; and on-campus networking and career-exploration events.
These experiences can be life-changing," says John Lee ’27 (computer science, math). This fall, he used professional-development funds to compete a prestigious national hackathon with Hemanth Kapa ’27 (computer science, neuroscience).
“This support made it possible for us to gain invaluable experience that will shape our careers,” says Lee, who now claims a coveted Cal Hacks Award. “This investment in student opportunities truly makes a difference in helping us bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application.”
Donors interested supporting the Professional Development Fund can make a gift to the college and choose "Career Excellence Innovation Fund" as the gift designation.
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Published December 3, 2025