“The Career Center has helped me become more confident in my career goals and given me tools and help to be able to attain those goals.” This is Caitlin Marsengill (’20), a Public Health and Social Justice Studies double major with a Spanish minor. Advice from her Career Advisor, Hannah Pigg, helped her feel confident in her resume and cover letter as she hadn’t been able to on her own. Now, Caitlin is a graduating senior and one of our Career Champions.
This year, our Career Advisors and Employer Relations team wanted to recognize students who they’ve seen to be curious and passionate about their future careers as Career Champions. The award acknowledges students’ demonstrated investment in their own career exploration and success. These students, like Caitlin, take what they learn in advising sessions and networking workshops into the real world.
“The two best pieces of career advice I have received [are] from my career advisor,” Caitlin says. “The first is that you should be authentic and show who you really are and share your identity in your applications and interviews because it helps both you and the place you are applying for know if it is the right fit. It is important that you feel accepted and welcome at the place you are applying to. The second is to stop overthinking it and do the thing already.”
Like many Miami students, Caitlin’s path to get the Career Advising help she needed wasn’t an obvious one. In fact, it began at her off-campus job. “Caitlin is an amazing and motivated person,” says Corey Watt, Associate Director of Employer Relations at the Career Center. “She works at Kroger and we regularly chat about life, school, and her future. This all started with a passing conversation in the produce section. I heard her speaking about jobs and internships with a co-worker. Afterwards, I introduced myself and we talked about upcoming events and available services in the Career Center.”
Shortly after, Caitlin reached out to Corey for more information and scheduled her first advising appointment through Handshake. Corey continues, “Even though she has transitioned to working directly with others, she enthusiastically keeps me in the loop, both at Kroger and via email. Her drive and follow through are great and her desire to turn her passions into a career are inspiring.”
In the future, Caitlin wants to conduct research on health disparities from an intersectional perspective, particularly in regards to sexual and reproductive health. “I envision myself working within the LGBTQ+ community to work towards achieving health equity,” Caitlin says. With her resume and cover letters prepared, she’s ready to follow her career path to the best of her ability.