The Office of Career Programs and Employer Relations runs the Dominican Career Development Program (DCDP), a series of career development classes that prepare students to effectively engage with the professional world during and following their time at Dominican. This curriculum serves as a designated place for building experience and knowledge and then translating those opportunities into constructive career-building pursuits. The Senior Showcase serves as the final project in DCDP 400: Managing Your Career. Dominican University seniors have spent the semester creating e-portfolios, curated selections of work that provide an overview of their experience and personal brand. Following a reverse job fair model, students presented their e-portfolios to the Dominican University community and our employer partners on December 6, 8, and 9.
Following this event, we reached out to a few students to see what they had to say about their experience. Kathryn Greenlea, a marketing major, said, “I thought the Senior Showcase was a perfect ending to the DCDP courses because it allowed me to use all the skills I’ve learned during my time at Dominican and test them in terms of presenting my portfolio to potential employers.” Kathryn expressed how this was a special opportunity hosted in a welcoming and encouraging environment as she was surrounded by peers, Dominican University staff, and DU Employer Partners.
We also heard from Michael Lupa, a management major, who shared that “having several attempts to practice your ‘elevator pitch’ really helps solidify which details are essential and, more importantly, which can be eliminated. Students need real-time interactions to boost confidence and overcome nerves, so I’m very pleased the DCDP team worked so hard to organize this event for us.”
When speaking to EIR (Executive/Expert In Residence) Alyse Lasser, she shared, “It gave the students a good opportunity to design a website. It was a chance for them to put together a project and be accurate, to be creative and express themselves.” Alyse expressed how this semester-long project gave the students a chance to reflect and present themselves vulnerably.
The senior showcase ended the semester on a high note and reinforced our mission to ensure all Dominican University students have equitable access to professional development experiences, employment networks, and experiential learning opportunities.
Special thank you to our Employer Partners: Guggenheim, Wintrust, genesisONE, and Paylocity. We appreciate your support!
