The Career Center & University Counseling Services

Students Learn Life Lessons in REAL LIFE 101 Workshops

The Career Center launched a new program this year for graduating seniors. This three week workshop is the result of the collaborative efforts of the Career Center and University Counseling Services.

The program is designed to help graduating seniors alleviate some of the anxiety that goes along with facing the prospect of finishing college and going out into the world.

Co-creators, Dr. Corinne Barker of Student Counseling Services and Patricia Gaynor, Assistant Director of the Career Center designed the program to be informative, interesting and fun!

Special presenters shared their expertise with the students on a variety of topics:

Gregorio Alcanter from Financial Aid counseled students on managing credit cards, creating budgets and avoiding debt.

Erika Schlarmann, Regional Director of Staffing for Limited Brands, gave tips on personal websites and their potential pitfalls. She explained that increasingly more employers are using this tool to research prospective employees and warned against posting anything that you would not to put on your resume.

Student Health Center representatives Amy Reichbach and Jane Santoro discussed the importance of examining employer provided healthcare and benefits plans as students begin their real-world job searches. They also gave great advice on travel planning and immunizations.

Patricia Gaynor spoke entertainingly about the "unspoken" rules of business etiquette and office culture. She gave great examples of office don'ts on a variety of topics ranging from the dangers of office gossip to the horrors of bringing strong smelling foods into the office. As she pointed out, "no one wants to be known as the onion lady!" Patricia also gave tips on acceptable uses of cell phones and the importance of manners.

Dr. Barker counseled students about feelings of anxiety and failure, and stressed the importance of seeking help before they become overwhelmed.

She also discussed the transition students experience in moving from their parents house and the importance of creating their own identity.

This pilot program enjoyed maximum attendance and received extremely high marks from participants in the exit survey. 100% of the students responded that they would definitely recommend this program to other students.

With positive feedback like this, both Corinne and Patricia hope to offer this program twice a year, in both Fall and Spring semesters.

Student Spotlight

Image of Adekambi Ogunade

Adekambi Ogunade, (his friends call him Addie) came to this country from Nigeria nine years ago and discovered his true calling as a family counselor.

A peer counselor in the Career Center, Addie assists students with choosing a major and giving advice on getting a high GPA.

Co-worker Toni Aho said , "Addie is so anxious to learn! He takes every opportunity to talk to people so that he can gain insight from others' experiences and share his own. His sense of humor and smile make people feel at ease and willing to share."

In addition to his work at the Career Center, Addie is passionate about research. He took 2nd place at the 11th CSUN Student Research and Creative Competition that was held on campus by the office of Graduate Studies in Fall 2006. He presented his research findings on "Adolescents Reports of Parental involvement in Relation to Academic Success in a Multi-Ethnic Sample in Los Angeles".

When asked about his plans for the future, his eyes light up, "I love people and want to be in a position to affect the lives of as many people as possible." Addie said his dream would be to make a career on a college campus.