By Hannah Waldera
How do I take the next step into the real world? Is a commonly asked question by students about to graduate college.
Graceland is taking the first step to helping those students thrive in the future.
One of Graceland's commitments to helping graduates is with a program called GU4U, which is a committee part of the alumni board that focuses on networking for students. The goal of GU4U is to connect students to alumni to each other to help with job opportunities for students graduating.
During homecoming week, GU4U held an event and allowed current students to meet alumni and get a headstart to make those connections. Not only does GU4U offer opportunities to build those connections, but they also help with a variety of other valuable information for students. They help with resume review, interview prep, and several other aspects that work to prepare graduating students for the next step in their lives.
GU4U is a great opportunity for students. Many colleges do not have this opportunity for students and something that makes Graceland special. Alumni and student relationships are crucial to help students to jump right into their field after graduation. Graceland students should take advantage by attending future GU4U events.
Melissa Sherer graduated from Graceland in 2018 and is currently part of the committee chair for the GU4U committee. She is a strong advocate for the importance of networking and explains the importance of getting involved.
Another way to get involved in the GU4U program is to join the LinkedIn GU4U page.
Sherer explains that on LinkedIn, alumni post job opportunities for Graceland students or alumni. For Sherer personally, she tries to post things that she believes are “relevant for current students and recent grads because that is where the committee can make the most impact.”
For GU4U to be effective, students need to be involved whether that be attending events or creating a LinkedIn account and joining their page.
GU4U is a very unique and exciting opportunity for current students that should not go unnoticed. As a current student, it offers some relief knowing that once it is time to graduate, I have a program to fall back on so I am not completely alone when looking for a job.
Graduation will happen a lot sooner than students may think so it is never too early to start participating in GU4U events. We recommend that students create a LinkedIn account and join the GU4U page as well as be on the lookout for future events to learn more.
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