Co-curricular Experiences that Build Careers: Get Everybody Moving
Presentation Type
Tutorial Presentation
Abstract
College provides students with knowledge, but some of the most meaningful professional and academic development happens beyond the classroom. Co-curricular experiences, including research, internships, service-learning, student organizations, leadership opportunities, community engagement, professional conferences, and faculty-led projects, provide important spaces for students to apply what they are learning, explore their interests, build professional relationships, and develop confidence in their ability to do meaningful work. Yet simply participating in an activity does not guarantee professional growth. Students must learn how to intentionally select experiences, maximize what they gain from them, and communicate the value of those experiences to others. This keynote challenges students to think beyond the question, “What will look good on my résumé?” and instead ask, “What do I want to be able to do because of this experience?” While employment and graduate or professional school admission are important outcomes, career readiness also requires students to feel confident that they are competent and prepared to perform the work they hope to pursue. Using Engage. Equip. Empower. (E3), a community-engaged sport and research initiative, as a practical example, this session demonstrates how co-curricular experiences can bridge academic learning and professional development. Through E3, undergraduate and graduate students have participated in youth sport programming, research training, data collection, program evaluation, community engagement, and dissemination of research. Students have served as soccer facilitators and structured observers in school-based programs, collected data on youth engagement and program implementation, and used those experiences to contribute to research presentations. These opportunities illustrate how one co-curricular experience can simultaneously develop communication, leadership, research, teamwork, problem-solving, and professional skills. The session will provide students with a practical framework for approaching co-curricular development in three stages: **Find It, Define It, and Leverage It.** First, students will learn where to identify meaningful opportunities by looking beyond traditional job postings and intentionally building relationships with faculty, campus programs, professional organizations, community partners, alumni, and peers. Second, students will learn to define what they want from an experience before beginning it by identifying specific skills, knowledge, relationships, products, and accomplishments they hope to develop. Finally, students will learn how to leverage their experiences by translating what they did into evidence of what they can do. Students will practice moving beyond simply listing activities to articulating their contributions, skills, accomplishments, and impact in language relevant to future employers and graduate or professional admissions committees. Particular attention will be given to translating experiences into résumés, CVs, personal statements, applications, interviews, and professional conversations. Ultimately, this keynote positions co-curricular engagement not as an “extra,” but as an essential component of academic and professional development. The goal is for students to leave understanding that the most valuable outcome of an experience is not merely being able to say, “I participated,” but being able to confidently explain: "This is what I did. This is what I learned. This is what I can now do. And this is how I can contribute to what comes next."
Co-curricular Experiences that Build Careers: Get Everybody Moving
College provides students with knowledge, but some of the most meaningful professional and academic development happens beyond the classroom. Co-curricular experiences, including research, internships, service-learning, student organizations, leadership opportunities, community engagement, professional conferences, and faculty-led projects, provide important spaces for students to apply what they are learning, explore their interests, build professional relationships, and develop confidence in their ability to do meaningful work. Yet simply participating in an activity does not guarantee professional growth. Students must learn how to intentionally select experiences, maximize what they gain from them, and communicate the value of those experiences to others. This keynote challenges students to think beyond the question, “What will look good on my résumé?” and instead ask, “What do I want to be able to do because of this experience?” While employment and graduate or professional school admission are important outcomes, career readiness also requires students to feel confident that they are competent and prepared to perform the work they hope to pursue. Using Engage. Equip. Empower. (E3), a community-engaged sport and research initiative, as a practical example, this session demonstrates how co-curricular experiences can bridge academic learning and professional development. Through E3, undergraduate and graduate students have participated in youth sport programming, research training, data collection, program evaluation, community engagement, and dissemination of research. Students have served as soccer facilitators and structured observers in school-based programs, collected data on youth engagement and program implementation, and used those experiences to contribute to research presentations. These opportunities illustrate how one co-curricular experience can simultaneously develop communication, leadership, research, teamwork, problem-solving, and professional skills. The session will provide students with a practical framework for approaching co-curricular development in three stages: **Find It, Define It, and Leverage It.** First, students will learn where to identify meaningful opportunities by looking beyond traditional job postings and intentionally building relationships with faculty, campus programs, professional organizations, community partners, alumni, and peers. Second, students will learn to define what they want from an experience before beginning it by identifying specific skills, knowledge, relationships, products, and accomplishments they hope to develop. Finally, students will learn how to leverage their experiences by translating what they did into evidence of what they can do. Students will practice moving beyond simply listing activities to articulating their contributions, skills, accomplishments, and impact in language relevant to future employers and graduate or professional admissions committees. Particular attention will be given to translating experiences into résumés, CVs, personal statements, applications, interviews, and professional conversations. Ultimately, this keynote positions co-curricular engagement not as an “extra,” but as an essential component of academic and professional development. The goal is for students to leave understanding that the most valuable outcome of an experience is not merely being able to say, “I participated,” but being able to confidently explain: "This is what I did. This is what I learned. This is what I can now do. And this is how I can contribute to what comes next."