KU Edwards Students Make Valuable Business Connections at CareerUP Events

When Valery Villarroel attended a networking event last year, she had no idea it would lead to two internships and job opportunities.

“Attending the KU Edwards CareerUP event and having a conversation changed my career track and opened doors I didn’t even know existed,” said Villarroel. She is pursuing her JCERT-supported Bachelor of Business Administration degree at KUEC.

During the event, Villarroel talked with Roxanne Sabatino, recruiting senior manager at CBIZ & Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C. Villarroel impressed Sabatino and eventually landed a rare internship opportunity with the company.

A connection like this is at the heart of the KU Edwards Campus’ professional-development initiatives.

At this year’s event, nearly 200 students networked with 50 Kansas City-area employers to learn more about critical thinking and essential skills and discover mentorship and career pathway opportunities. Attendance was up 40 percent from last April’s inaugural CareerUP event.

KU Edwards Campus Vice Chancellor David Cook said the event comes from a demonstrated need in Kansas City’s workforce for professionals with essential, or “soft,” skills that help organizations communicate ideas both internally and to the public.

Terri Woodburn, program director for JCERT-supported Professional Science Master’s in Environmental Assessment, said events like CareerUP help her students mentally plan for their professional futures as well as their immediate career goals.

“Most of our students have a nearsighted goal of getting a specific degree and job,” Woodburn said. “Area employers can provide perspectives that enable students to see beyond that narrow focus. It helps them understand what they can do with their education and skills in the short- and long-term.”

Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, executive director and chief operating officer of The DeBruce Foundation, which aims to help individuals unlock their potential and find new career pathways, was the event’s keynote speaker. She echoed Woodburn’s sentiment that students can benefit from valuable, practical advice beyond what they learn in the classroom.

“One of the top reasons students do not complete their college degrees is they don’t see a link between their degree and chosen career,” Taylor Knight said. “Events like CareerUP give them a way to apply what they’re doing now with potential career opportunities.”

To learn more about how students are using their KUEC degrees, check out the campus’s career blog.