Several recent graduates from the MS in Higher Education Administration and Policy (MSHE) Class of 2016 accepted full-time positions across the country. Here we feature some of our Career Launcher graduates -- those who began the program immediately or shortly after graduating from their undergraduate institutions -- many of whom completed the program in one year.
Lorato Anderson (MS16) interned in the MSHE office, the Buffett Institute for Global Studies, the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, and One Book One Northwestern at Northwestern University. Anderson recently accepted an offer as an undergraduate advisor in the psychology department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “I’m really excited to apply everything I’ve learned in my courses and internships to my next position," she said. "It’ll be challenging, I’m sure, but I think it’ll be a lot of fun, too.”
Ashley Belisle (MS16) interned at the Office of New Student and Family Programs at Northwestern. Belisle currently works as a Career Programs Specialist at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. and credits the MSHE program with helping her land a job. “My answers to almost every [interview] question were rooted in telling stories about my experiences at Northwestern—both in my internship and in the classroom," Belisle said. "Without these experiences, I would not have been able to speak to concrete skills I have acquired as a higher education professional.”
Brendan Bond (MS16) interned in the Undergraduate Admissions Office at Northwestern and is now the assistant director of Undergraduate Admissions in that same office. “MSHE helped me narrow down the area in higher education in which I conducted my job search," Bond said. "More importantly, the applied learning I received both inside the classroom and during my graduate assistantship allowed me to jump right in to my current role and take on duties and responsibilities as early as my first week.”
David Ernst (MS16) interned in the Marketing and Communications Office at Northwestern University, the Financial Aid Office at Rush University Medical Center, and the Student Affairs Assessment Office at DePaul University. He accepted a job as as a graduate admissions counselor at Pace University in New York, N.Y. "Having a career coach that I felt comfortable reaching out to with all of my questions and updates was super beneficial.”
Khaled Ismail (MS16) interned in the Social Justice Education and Multicultural Student Affairs office at Northwestern and currently works as a Social Justice Education Specialist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. “My MSHE experience has equipped me with the tools and skills necessary to be able to navigate a really complex institution, bring unique insights and experiences to my position/department, and build strategic relationships across units to influence change on issues of equity and inclusion," Ismail said.
Joanne Kang (MS16) interned in the Multicultural Student Affairs Office at Northwestern during her time in the MSHE program. Although she does not graduate until the end of fall quarter, she accepted a position as the program coordinator for Asian American Student Support in the Center for Multicultural Student Affairs at Duke University in Durham, N.C. and will begin full-time in January 2017.
“The internship at Multicultural Student Affairs not only provided me with work experience but also helped me in discerning my skills, passions, and aspirations moving forward," Kang said. "MSHE's internship placement process truly had no match compared to the other programs I applied to; the personal attention to my goals and interests was crucial to gaining the experience I have earned at Northwestern.”
Corinne Smith (MS16) interned in the Undergraduate Admissions Office at Northwestern University. Smith currently works as the assistant director of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. “I would not be in my role at Yale without the MSHE program, the amazing support systems, and the classes that directly relate to everything that I do on a day-to-day basis," Smith said. "Jobs --both inside and outside of higher education -- are becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. The curriculum at MSHE truly prepared me to work within the higher education field of my choice.”
MSHE wishes the best of luck to these students who are beginning their careers in higher education!