By Leah Dumas, Staff Reporter
Career Services is partnering with the Baptist Student Ministry this year to host Adulting 101, an informational series for seniors.
This series will consist of five different, one-hour sessions throughout the school year that will provide information for soon-to-be graduates over topics such as paying back student loans, budgeting, networking and how to build community in a new city post-graduation.
“Tanner [Clarke, BSM director] and I wanted to do something for our seniors to help send them out on a strong note so that they feel more prepared going out into the real world after graduation,” said Alyssa Rasco, director of Career Services.
While Adulting 101 is specifically for seniors, other students are welcome to attend. Each session will take place on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. in Moody Center 233. While the first session on Oct. 3 has already passed, students will have four more opportunities to attend on Nov. 21, Feb. 13, March 19 and April 23.
“Each session will cover four topics in a TED Talk style, so each topic will be about ten minutes long. The topics will be related to career, financial, self and community,” Rasco said.
While each session focuses on those four general themes, the topics discussed will vary from session to session, so Rasco encourages seniors to come to all five if they can.
Aside from being informational, these sessions could also provide students with networking opportunities. “Some of the people leading the short TED Talk sessions are employers in the Abilene community and alumni. There will be a chance to mingle after the session’s ended, and it’s in a relaxed environment, so it can make making those connections a little easier,” Rasco said.
Because the BSM is helping host these sessions, there will also be a faith component to them. “We’re talking about how you even begin to think about those big questions after you graduate,” Rasco said.
Overall, Rasco hopes that these sessions will help graduating seniors think through things they may not have considered about post-graduate life. “We’ve thought a lot about it, trying to make it good for students. That’s the whole reason we’re here, to help students feel like they’re transitioning well into their next step,” Rasco said.
If they attend, students will have the chance to win prizes such as free cap, gown and tassel packages and diploma frames. Chapel credit can also be earned by attending.