Kenyon Students Invest Their Spring Breaks in Career Treks

By Amelia Yeager ‘20

Spring break is a busy time for Kenyon students who are on the hunt for jobs and internships. Two weeks without classes give many students the opportunity to explore options outside of Gambier. Last March, a group of 33 students had an opportunity to go behind the scenes at a variety of companies, speak to employees, and envision their future career paths by participating in a career trek to New York City.

“Everyone [I met on the trek] was so helpful, and they explained a lot,” said Jenny Tie ’21, one of the students who participated last year. “The trek definitely helped me envision my career options.” The CDO is planning multiple treks for this year, including a return to New York City and a policy and media trek to Washington, D.C.

Last year’s career trek took students on a finance and consulting track to Deloitte Consulting and Three Ocean Partners in the morning. Students who chose the publishing track visited Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Riverhead Books in the afternoon, while finance students continued on to visit Lazard Middle Market and The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. At each session, a Kenyon alumnus or company recruiter gave students an overview of the industry, their company and job specifically, and answered students’ questions.

Tie, a Junior English major involved in the Kenyon Review and Sunset Press, is interested in publishing and took advantage of the career trek to explore the industry. “I had the option of not doing the morning finance track, but I still went because it’s a great learning opportunity, especially if you’re exploring your options,” she said. 

Kenyon alumni and parents are integral to each location’s programming, and several are involved in the upcoming trek. Getting behind-the-scenes access from alumni is a great way to take advantage of a professional network. “It’s good for people like myself who were trying to figure out what these industries were like and what they actually did,” Tie said. “That can sometimes be hard to access from the outside because you don’t even know what questions to ask. But I learned so much just from interacting with the representatives.” 

This year’s New York City treks on March 9th and 10th promise networking opportunities and industry knowledge in finance and creative communications, which includes journalism, literary agencies, advertising, and publishing. Space is limited, so interested students are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible. Registrations will be accepted until space is filled or until February 17th. Students are responsible for their own transportation and accommodations, although housing resources are available through the Kenyon Bed and Breakfast program. 

Tie advises interested students to prepare thoroughly before attending one of the career treks. “Going in there with clear objectives—like ‘what do I want to get out of this trek?’—is going to be really helpful because you know what you’re going there to get.” Being intentional about taking advantage of facetime with representatives is key: “You’re going to get out of it what you put into it. Prepare questions for these people, not to impress them, genuinely questions that you want answered,” Tie said. “And if you’re really interested in one of the companies, follow up! Everyone I reached out to replied—they gave me so much practical, useful, honest advice.” Most representatives will happily provide business cards for further contact with students. Their insights have helped guide Jenny to aspire to a career in publishing or the digital humanities after graduation. 

Click here for more information about the trek, including the registration form. Interested in more ways to explore potential industries? Join Handshake and schedule an appointment with the CDO.