Student Spotlight: Jane Hughes

Name: Jane Hughes 
Year: Junior 
Major: International Political Economy (IPE) 
Hometown: Oreland, PA 





1) What made you choose Fordham?

I chose Fordham because i didn't have to sacrifice a real campus for proximity to a city, and everything that goes along with it! For example, things to do, internships, not feeling cut off from the world in a small town college, etc.  

2) What are you involved in here at Fordham?

I'm on the FCA e-board, I work in Fordham Career Services, I used to play intramural sports, and I volunteer with the Generation Citizen club on campus.

3) Tell us more about FCA. 

FCA is the bridge between career services and students. It's made up of students and provides a really casual way to meet employers and successful alumni, and make friends with the people in Career Services (who are a HUGE resource to have at your fingertips - especially when they know you personally!)  FCA does a lot of different events that get students in contact with employers outside of the traditional interview-process (which is strictly career services' job), by doing this we take a lot of pressure off of both the student and employer which facilitates real connections that can be invaluable when you're looking for an internship/job.

4) What are FCA's big events for the semester? 

Yesterday we had a really successful "First Impressions Carnival" that introduces underclassmen to basic things like resume building and taking a LinkedIn picture for them.  In March, we are starting our recruitment phase - we have applicants interview with us to make sure they're the best representatives we can give employers from the Fordham student body. Towards the end of the semester, we're putting on our second annual Speed Networking Event, which is a really fun night that's set up like a regular speed dating event, but has about 10 employers from all different fields sit at tables while small groups of students get a chance to sit down with them and chat about anything for a couple of minutes. Last year we had a really big turn out from students and more employers requested to be a part of it than we could accommodate, so this year we're going even bigger!

5) Tell us about your internship! 

I'm interning with the Synergos Institute, a non profit founded by Peggy Rockefeller. It focuses on capacity-building in underdeveloped countries so that all of the aid programs we (and other NGO's) donate money to can become self-reliant and continue long after the donated money/resources has stopped coming. Our work puts the countries we help in control of their futures, instead of barging in and telling them what to do in terms of development.  I'm on the development team, which means I work with our donors to determine where their gifts are most needed, and the people who actually receive them. It's a very eye-opening internship, and no, I have never been asked to get coffee or make copies. 

6) Any advice for high school students deciding where they want to spend their next four years? 

Follow your dreams, this may take a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it! Don't be afraid, college is definitely a lot less scary than it may seem! 

To learn more about FCA click here! 

Fordham Career Services

Looking for internship access and job security? Have no fear, Career Services is here!

I have found that one of the main priorities and reasons for getting a college degree is to ensure employment upon graduation. From my time thus far at Fordham, I have come to understand, by talking to both recent graduates and professors, that Fordham students have great success in securing jobs post-graduation. In addition to fostering a friendly, yet competitive environment, molding driven and passionate students, Fordham has fantastic networking opportunities.  This is made possible due to the hard work of Career Services. 

Pamphlet from the Career Fair

This past week, Career Services hosted its annual Spring Career Fair where representatives from top corporate firms, commercial offices, and legal practices came to connect with undergraduate students.  At the Career Fair, students had the opportunity to exchange resumes, cover letters, and business cards with a wide-range of liaisons, representatives, and recruiters in order to network to gain prospective job and internships.  While I was not able to attend the fair due to other on-campus commitments, all of my roommates were able to mingle and network with representatives from top finance and accounting firms.  They were able to discuss previous internship experiences, receive feedback on their resumes, and seek advice for future career opportunities.  Many of the recruiters were Fordham alumni, which made the conversations all the more natural and comfortable – Go Rams!

List of Rep's at the Career Fair

Throughout the year, Career Services hosts various events, aside from their Career Fairs.  For example, the office will meet with students who receive academic credit for semester-long internships.  I was able to receive this service my sophomore year when I interned at a fashion PR company.  I met with counselors throughout the semester to discuss the progress of my internship, which culminated with a reflection paper that incorporated the required book for credit-internships, “You Majored in What.”  The sessions provided the time and space to express my positive feedback from my internship as well the frustration of just starting out in the “real-world.” I was reassured that an entire network of Fordham alumni was there to help if I ever needed career advice or potential job opportunities.

After meeting with a Career Services counselor, students have access to internship and job search, which I have found to be the most useful tool provided by the office.  I am currently applying to summer internships, and already have interviews with the company’s to which I submitted my resumes and cover letters via Fordham’s internship search access.  This tool, CareerLink, allows students to type in different categories to find internships in fields varying from finance and fashion to marketing and litigation.  The vast majority of my friends and roommates have used this tool, in addition to Career Service’s weekly job postings via email blast, to find their respective paid and unpaid internships.

"Gifts" distributed at the Career Fair

As a second semester junior, I feel the “real world” rapidly approaching.  While, yes, this is an extremely daunting feeling, I feel all the more secure knowing the great resources we have here on campus to help make the “real world” a little less intimidating, and a whole lot more accessible.  It’s time to go out there and set the world on fire, in the words of St. Ignatius. 

Undeclared

English, Math, Communications, Biology, Psychology, Anthropology…having the option of choosing from 60 liberal arts majors can almost make students feel the desire for less options for once! Freshman year can function as a time to test out different core classes and find your likes and dislikes when it comes to academics. But, sometimes not having a direct path can leave students feeling a bit lost. Here are tips for taking the edge off of the uncertainty of being “undeclared.”

1. The core: While sometimes daunting upon entering Fordham, the core can be an undeclared major’s best friend. The core offers students the chance to take classes they would not have necessarily chosen on their own. This can either help students find a new interest or simply confirm their previously held preferences.

2. You can change you mind…and change it again: Nothing is set in stone. After experiencing a year away from home, in a new environment, with new people, a student is bound to have some changes in opinion or perspective. With these changes, the Gabelli School of Business could become much more appealing then your originally intended pre-health path. In addition, you may have not known a program existed until the end of your freshman or even the beginning of your sophomore year.

3. You have time: Valentine’s day (The unofficial day for major declaration) sophomore year may seem a while away as a first or second semester freshman…because it is! The core allows for you to have plenty of time to test out different subjects that could lead to a possible major before the time to declare a major comes around.

4. You should feel blessed, not cursed: Even if by the time you have taken your second science course the only thing you have learned is that science is not for you, you are actually getting much more out of it than that. Fordham’s liberal arts core allows you to take a variety of classes that fulfill requirements ensuring that credits (and $) are hardly ever wasted. If you felt that you were passionate about Communications and realized the opposite after taking Comm 1010, you would still have fulfilled a Social Science credit without falling behind.

5. Talk it out: Every student on campus either is looking into a major or has already gone through the process. Talking with upper classman and your peers alike can help relieve the stress of figuring out the future by ensuring you that it does eventually work out, and you are not alone. Also, Career Services’ councilors as well as department assistant chairs are readily available to help decide which majors can lead you to your dream job.

I am a former Business Administration major, who decided to think about Sociology instead and is now a thoroughly confident and satisfied Communications major. Looking back on my days of living “undeclared,” I regret feeling like not knowing what I wanted to do at Fordham meant I was lost in life. This time in college is meant exactly for that! Figuring out what you want to do so that one day you can go out do it!

Career Links At Your Service

One of Fordham’s greatest draws is that it is located right in the heart of one of the world’s greatest cities: New York City. You could read past blog posts to learn more about all of the cultural opportunities that accompany our location (i.e. Broadway, Central Park, Fifth Ave, the Met); however, this would not even begin to describe the wellspring of its benefits. As a senior, the one that draws primary attention for me is employment prospects. 

About 68% of Fordham students graduate with secured employment. In a time of economic downturn, that is a fairly impressive feat. Though it is difficult to nail down the total number of undergrads participating in internships, the Gabelli School of Business estimates that 91% of its students have had at least one internship by the time they graduate. Though this number of course translates differently for the College of Liberal Arts, you’ll find that a fairly high percentage of majors in other disciplines also find work in different environments, whether they be research, education, computer science, etc. In a place like New York City, there is a fit for anyone who is willing to look hard enough for it.

Amenities such as Career Services and Career Links greatly assist students in the internship and job hunt. While Career Services puts students through their interview and resume-building paces, Career Links provides them with employment postings. You can narrow down the scope according to location, nature of work, semester, and even your past experience. No matter your background, it is nearly impossible not to find a workplace that will, well, work for you.

A view of Career Services webpage

Blog By: Sara Power

Dream Internship!

Since I was a freshman, I have been tirelessly working to obtain an internship in the entertainment industry. It has always been a dream of mine to work in New York City for a big media company and help write for or produce a show. And finally, after working at quite a few internships, I finally have an opportunity this fall to work as a development intern with MTV at Viacom.

I want my MTV!

As a development intern, I help organize lists and documents for different special events that my department produces in addition to assisting with various other production duties. I work in the main Viacom building which is located right in the heart of Times Square, so it’s never boring, especially when I get to have lunch outside on the seventh floor terrace that overlooks Broadway. Also, my commute is only a short Metro North train and a quick subway ride away, so getting to work is simple and stress-free.

Eating lunch on the terrace overlooking Times Square!

I have wanted to get an internship like this for a very long time, and I would truly not have been able to do it without the help of Fordham’s Career Services. They helped me set up and format my resume and cover letter and offered advice on how to make them better. Living in New York City and having the expertise and generosity of Career Services makes getting a dream internship possible!

The view from my desk!

An Internship Experience of a Lifetime

Fordham Career Services, located on the second floor of the McGinley Center on the Rose Hill campus, provides the resources and connections to help students take advantage of the countless internship and work opportunities that come with Fordham’s close proximity to New York City! Guest blogger, Brittany Batten (FCRH ’14), heard about a unique opportunity in the Career Services Office and shares her internship experience of a lifetime that followed:

I got out of the subway to see a line wrapping around ABC Studios. I immediately questioned my decision to attend the W-ABC Internship Open House. Hundreds of students stood in line for a 5-minute interview all with the same hope of obtaining an internship at Live! with Kelly and Michael. Needless to say, I was speechless when I found out that, starting in September, I would be a production intern at one of my favorite morning shows for the semester.

Michael Strahan and I started on the same day. I like to think the red carpet laid out for Michael’s debut was for me. The energy in the studio was tremendous as the entire country waited for the announcement of Kelly Ripa’s new co-host. The press filled the studio and producers ran around ensuring that everything was in place for the huge show ahead. My first task was to greet the guests on the show that day. I walked Blake Shelton to his dressing room and delivered Josh Radnor his shoes. It was only my first hour and I had already met two of my favorite celebrities and ushered in reports from TMZ and Entertainment Tonight, all while being in the midst of one of the biggest announcements in daytime entertainment.

Of course, not every aspect of my internship was this glamorous. The first two hours of my ten-hour day were always full of excitement as I helped prepare for and watch the show. The other eight hours were spent in the office where I sorted through ticket requests, organized audience feedback, delivered mail, and answered phone calls. I also worked with producers to put together various segments from time to time and steamed Michael’s suit each morning.

One day, a producer asked me and a few other interns to set up John Travolta’s dressing room for a post-tape, meaning he was coming in to pre-record a segment after the live show. As we struggled to remove the divider in the dressing room, I heard, “What kind of help do they hire here at ABC? Do you guys need a hand?” I turned around to see none other than John Travolta himself. He ended up talking to us for about ten minutes about school, our experience at Live!, and our plans for the future. He also removed the divider in his own dressing room.

I had many memorable moments like this one and was able to meet a lot of cool people while experiencing first-hand what it is like behind the scenes of a renowned morning show. While I loved my experience, it also helped me realize that TV production is not for me. Still, I will always look back fondly on my time at Live! with Kelly and Michael and I feel tremendously lucky to have had this opportunity.