Building a virtual career community

TU’s career communities evolve to keep preparing students for the future

By Kyle Hobstetter on October 29, 2020

Matthew Smith, who is the career coach in the STEM Career Community, hosts an event in 2019. Smith and others in the Towson University's Career Communities are moving their programming online. Photo by Lauren Castellana.

While students are physically distant from campus, the Towson University Career Communities have pivoted to reach their members, wherever they are.

Introduced by the Career Center in 2018, members of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), Media, Arts & Communications (MAC), Health & Wellness and Exploration career communities have dedicated career coaches and external relations coordinators that prepare them for careers that align with their college.

Usually, the communities provide one-on-one office hours, networking events at organizations in the greater Baltimore area and special speaker programs on campus.

But with the novel coronavirus pandemic temporarily halting on-campus programming, the career communities’ staff brought it back through Zoom.

This October, Matthew Smith, the career coach for the STEM Career Community, hosted a Men of Color and Careers virtual networking event. Included were professionals from Towson University, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, Emerald Technical Solutions & Staffing among others.

Smith attended something similar when he was an undergraduate, meeting and networking with professional men of color. It had a strong impact on his life, and he wanted to bring the experience to TU.

The Men of Color and Careers event featured a curated Q&A between Smith and the participants, where they spoke about their journeys and careers. The event also offered an opportunity for students to talk directly with the panel.

Along with current professionals, the panel also featured Saydu Paye, who is in Towson University’s applied information technology graduate program.

One of the reasons Smith wanted Paye to join the panel was to show students that there are different paths to take after graduation.

“I think our current students realized that when it comes to their career journey, it’s not a linear path sometimes,” Smith says. “I think they understood that a lot of these individuals had diverse experiences that contributed to where they are now.

“It helps students realize that it’s OK to not have it all planned out right now. Being able to get advice and ask questions was very impactful.”

This is just one of the events offered by Towson University career communities. Past events included a National Institutes of Health virtual information session for the USAjobs.gov System, a virtual look at careers at Thermo Fisher and a virtual town hall on performing arts in the time of COVID-19.

“Whether providing resources or providing contact information for individuals who can answer their questions, I really enjoy helping students with career development,” Smith says.

Students interested in getting involved with their career community can contact the community’s staff through Handshake. Students can also stay up to date with events happening throughout the term by following the Career Center’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: Lifelong Career Center.