Support Career Education at Lehigh University on Giving Day & March Mania

The Center for Career & Professional Development (CCPD) offers support and resources within career education while simultaneously providing opportunities for Lehigh students to mentor their peers and grow their own professional skills. One of the ways our center does this is through our Career Fellows program. Career Fellows are a big part of the success of Lehigh students and Giving Day & March Mania is a great time to support the Center for Career & Professional Development.

Since the start of the Career Fellows program in 2019, the team of Career Fellows have supported thousands of undergraduate and graduate students through Career Lab, our weekday walk-in hours at the Center for Career & Professional Development. In this space students are assisted with a wide range of career questions and tasks including resume development, cover letter reviews, networking steps, job searching, internship applications and much more. Our staff of selected and trained Career Fellows not only assists students with these career topics, but also share information and advice based on their own recent experiences with interviewing, job or internship searching, and career planning.

The Career Fellows helped more than 1,459 students and alumni visitors in Career Lab during the Fall 2024 semester, and more than 11,320 visitors since the program began in 2019!

In addition to the 1:1 help students can receive at Career Lab, Career Fellows also work closely with student clubs, organizations, groups and teams on campus to facilitate presentations on career topics. Workshops on resume building, networking, career expo prep, interview strategies and many other career-related subjects are often provided for dozens of fraternities and sororities, athletic teams, and student organizations each semester. The Career Fellows are excellent examples of success with peer to peer learning and they allow the Career Center to extend career education opportunities outside the walls of the career center.

The Career Fellows program has the unique outcome of also helping the Career Fellows themselves grow skills and participate in professional development. While helping others, our Fellows are developing and fine-tuning valuable and marketable career competencies. Presenting, coaching, teaching, mentoring, marketing, editing, communicating and many other accountabilities become part of the skill set that they take with them to full-time employment and graduate programs. Our Career Fellows have a unique insider view on the workings of the Career Center & the recruitment process, and through training they have developed a deep understanding of all of the career resources available to help students succeed with their personal career plans.

The Career Fellows program started in 2019 with a gift from Jim Hernjak (Mechanical Engineering ‘96, MBA ‘97), which allowed the first cohort of fellows (previously called Career Interns) to join the Career Center team. As a result of Jim Hernjak's philanthropic support, the Career Fellows program has grown each year and continues to serve as a incredible resource for Lehigh students.

Think back to your time as a first-year student trying to make your first resume, or a sophomore hoping for a summer internship, or a junior looking for a networking connection at a dream company and a senior shaping plans for after graduation. Career Fellows help students with those very situations every week in the career center. Career planning can be a daunting task, but we strive to make that process easier and more attainable with the Career Fellows program.

Please help us continue this amazing program and expand the reach of career education on the Lehigh campus. A gift to the Center for Career & Professional Development on Giving Day & March Mania allows us to continue growing and enhancing the Career Fellows program. Consider donating today to support our mission to provide career education and connections that support student success.