The Catawba College Career Services Center is a busy place during spring semester, coaching graduating seniors in job and graduate school interviewing, resume writing and job connections, as well as working with undergrads on internships.
The Career Services Center plays a big role in helping Catawba students with "life after college." A total of 98.5 percent of 2019 Catawba graduates had jobs or were enrolled in graduate school within one year of graduation. The Career Services Center is a resource for career guidance and advice, job search assistance, career fairs, grad school fairs and forums, and corporate recruiters on campus. The office also assists with business internships and job shadowing opportunities that can lead to permanent positions.
Recently, alum Brooke Freeman received the phone call of her dreams, and she reached back to Catawba to thank Michael "Big-Mike" Frederick, Director of Internships and Career Planning, for his help. Brooke earned acceptance into her #1 choice Physician Assistant Program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, SC.
Brooke said that she has officially accepted the offer and put down her tuition deposit. "I just wanted to say thank you so much again for helping me prepare for my interviews," she said to Big-Mike. "I learned so much from our prep session together and am very grateful for all your advice!"
Big-Mike said that it was "an absolute pleasure working with Brooke as she prepared for her graduate school interviews. Brooke knows her "Purpose" and is very passionate about her field of study, and it showed in her interview preparation," he said. "She took part in two interview prep sessions. Within a one-week time frame, she was taught how to appropriately research the intended institutions as well as the faculty and staff involved with her program of choice.
"Through the use of reflective questioning, Brooke was able to clearly see how her purpose and passion aligned perfectly with that of the mission and values of MUSC. Once the research and reflection were complete, Brooke went through two one-hour sessions of intense interview questions that were followed up with immediate feedback. Brooke was very nervous at the beginning of her interview preparation, but that nervousness was replaced with pure confidence and I had no doubt that she would be successful in her interviews," Big-Mike said.
