Career Services

Think Your Major Defines Your Future? ��ý Says Think Again

HHARRIS@bridgew.edu — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 12:44:09 +0000

Think Your Major Defines Your Future? ��ý Says Think Again HHARRIS@bridgew.edu Fri, 07/10/2026 - 08:44

From orientation onward, students are encouraged to explore, experiment, and build confidence in their career path

July 29, 2026

Heather Harris Michonski

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

It’s a question that stumps many, especially college students who are usually still trying to figure it all out.

To help solve this riddle, ��ý Career Services and Internships is launching a new framework that helps students explore the possibilities.

“We’re trying to make the hidden curriculum of career development visible,” said Executive Director of Career Services and Internships Dr. Gerald Tang.

While many students understand how to earn a college degree, they don’t always know about the “unwritten steps” that can lead to a meaningful career.

According to Tang, the framework focuses on three areas: education, skill building, and experience.

Rather than asking students, “what major are you choosing,” Career Services is encouraging them to think more broadly: What interests them? What skills do they want to develop? What experiences will help them grow?

“We want to shift away from the idea that a major equals a career. A major is just one piece of the puzzle,” Tang said. “We want students to think more broadly about their interests, goals, and values, and how those align with industries, companies, and roles, not just a major.”

The goal is to inspire students right out of the gate, which is the reason this new framework is being presented to them as early as orientation.

“This is streamlining what we’ve already been doing in a way that is easily digestible and understandable. It offers a clearer way for students to break it up into smaller steps, to build career confidence,” said Katie Vagen, associate director of Internships and Career Development.

Career Services has found that many students assume they will figure out their career path after graduation, once they have their degree in hand.

“They focus only on earning a degree and miss out on opportunities to build experience along the way,” Vagen said.

That is why students should recognize that career-building experiences aren’t limited to just academics or internships. Working at a campus job, joining a student organization, volunteering, conducting undergraduate research, studying abroad or taking on a leadership role can all help students better understand their strengths and interests, Vagen said.

These experiences can also help students expand their skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership, problem solving, and adaptability. All are important when it comes time to enter the workforce.

“We want students to start somewhere but explore everywhere. Every class, experience, and opportunity helps them learn more about themselves and where they want to go,” Vagen said. “You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to take one small step. Every experience helps students build the confidence to design their own career journey,”

Do you have a ��ý story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu

We’re trying to make the hidden curriculum of career development visible.

Executive Director of Career Services and Internships Dr. Gerald Tang

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Career Services

Photos by Miranda MacLeod, '28

Mentorship Matters

HHARRIS@bridgew.edu — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 14:27:14 +0000

Mentorship Matters HHARRIS@bridgew.edu Mon, 09/08/2025 - 10:27

Partnership with McLean Hospital gives psychology majors a leg up in their field

October 2, 2025

Heather Harris Michonski

As a first-generation student, Johanne Barthold, ’25, didn’t have the same roadmap as some of her peers when it came to navigating college.

“I never had any examples from anyone who went through this process before,” she said.

Johanne (in featured photo) initially started college in her 20’s but struggled and dropped out.

“I was going through my own trials and tribulations and just left school. I didn’t really know who to reach out to. I didn’t know I had support. I kind of regret that,” Johanne said. “I just didn’t have anyone to encourage me to keep going.”

Still, she had a desire to work in the mental health field and become a therapist. A little older and wiser, she decided to enroll at ��ý and opted to study psychology with a minor in sociology.

This time around, she’s found a supportive environment, as well as an opportunity to participate in the Mentor, Empower, and Network to Optimize Representation (MENTOR) program, a partnership between ��ý and McLean Hospital, a leader in behavioral and mental health care, an affiliated teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, and the flagship psychiatric hospital of the Mass General Brigham integrated health care system. McLean Hospital is located in Belmont.

��ý Psychology Lab and Internship Coordinator Fran Barth is the lead manager of the program that first launched in 2022.

“The purpose of the program is to improve representation in the mental health fields (clinical work, research, and administration) by offering connections between underrepresented students and professionals in the field,” Barth said.

With so many ��ý students being “first-gen,” the fear is they many lack a network in their chosen field to tap into. Barth added, “This program allows them to network in the field to learn more about various careers and opportunities and prepare for next steps (e.g., internships, jobs, and graduate school applications).”

Though the program does not include the mentee working on specific research, the contacts made are invaluable.

“The program allows students to network and have contacts and connections at the top psychiatric hospital in the world,” Barth said.

For Johanne, meeting with her McLean mentor has been a positive experience. Especially, for example, when applying to graduate schools, she was disappointed to learn she had been waitlisted at her top choice.

“I was emotional, and she [mentor] was comforting. She helped me problem-solve instead of staying in my emotions,” she said. “(My mentor) is really good with reaching out to me on a regular basis, checking in, answering any questions I might have.

Also enrolled in the program is psychology major Onyinyechukwuka Ashiedu, ’26. Having access to working professionals has boosted her confidence.

“Having someone that you can ask questions of, someone with knowledge in the field, people who know what they are talking about, puts me at ease,” she said. “It’s great having someone who has your best interest at heart, who is setting you up for success. It’s a really good program for ��ý to offer.”

Anthony Ferraz, ’27, is also enrolled in the MENTOR program and wants to become a therapist, specifically working in impoverished communities.

His mentor has helped him better define a way to achieve this.

“My mentor gave me advice that helped me broaden my horizons,” he said. “I had a linear path but being able to talk to a (working professional) allowed me to explore more. I took different classes, got into research labs…my mentor has really helped me figure out exactly what I want to do.”

In September, the MENTOR program application process will begin. Emails will be sent out to all ��ý psychology students.

“This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in research, clinical work, and possibly a PhD,” Barth said. “Anyone also interested in psychiatric nursing or working in a psychiatric hospital should apply. The hope is that by making these connections, undergraduates, who may otherwise have no one to help guide them, learn how to successfully prepare for careers in the field.”

Do you have a ��ý story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu

The hope is that by making these connections, undergraduates, who may otherwise have no one to help guide them, learn how to successfully prepare for careers in the field.

��ý Psychology Lab and Internship Coordinator Fran Barth

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Career Services

Photo submitted by Johanne Barthold, '26

Tailor Made for Success

HHARRIS@bridgew.edu — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 17:51:39 +0000

Tailor Made for Success HHARRIS@bridgew.edu Tue, 12/17/2024 - 12:51

Bear Essentials boutique helps students dress for job interviews

December 19, 2024

Heather Harris Michonski

There is no way around it, job interviews are stressful, that includes deciding what to wear.

This is particularly true for college students, who are looking to make a good first impression to secure an internship or get that first post-graduation job offer.

To help take this pressure off of students, ��ý’s Bear Essentials, a boutique located in the Rondileau Student Union, offers free and gently used professional clothes.

“The main reason we are all at college is to land a job and part of landing that job is to dress and look the part,” said Janete Monteiro, ’25, “Bear Essentials really is impactful, it helps students sew it all together.”

Janete, a marketing major, serves as Bear Essentials’ ambassador. In this role, she promotes the program, takes in donations, helps organize the boutique, and assists students in finding the perfect outfit.

“Getting to see how excited other students get when they do find the right clothing, or relieved that they can go in and find something for a last-minute interview…Honestly, being part of anything where I get to help other people is right up my alley,” she said.

Bear Essentials was first introduced at ��ý in 2013 when Vice President of Outreach and Engagement Diane Bell and Associate Director of Career Services and Internship Program Carol Crosby recognized the need.

Initially a small closet was designated to house the donated clothing. Soon, however, word spread, and the program began to grow. That’s when former ��ý Alumni Association President Carrie Kulick-Clark, ’85, G’98, stepped in to help.

She rallied other alumni to donate clothing and began to organize bi-annual Dress for Success events, where students come and pick out outfits that fit their personal styles.

Over the years, these events have gained in popularity. During the most recent Dress for Success event held in October Kulick-Clark said 381 students walked through the doors.

“Watching the students get excited about clothing and fashion…it’s just amazing to watch their faces, to see how transformative (the experience) is,” she said.

Along the way Kulick-Clark also met Katie Muldoon, marketing and program coordinator for Career Services & Internships. Together they’ve continued to move the program forward.

“It’s just amazing to watch it morph into what it is today. Carrie and Katie have really taken it, and blossomed it into something awesome,” Crosby said.

During this year’s homecoming weekend, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the rebranded Bear Essentials Closet’s new location in RSU 104, next to the council chambers.

The new space offers a VIP experience, where students can come, try on clothes in a private changing room, and get fashion tips from Katie, Carrie, or other volunteers.

Accessing the Bear Essentials Closet is easy. Students can stop by career services and internship offices in the RSU, M-F, between 9a.m.-4:30p.m. to access the closet. All that’s needed is a ��ý connect card.

Students can then browse for 30 minutes to pick out articles of clothing to create a professional outfit they get to keep free of charge. Before leaving, students just need to check out back at the career services and internship office.

“We want every student to know they have access to the closet, that they should use it. We want students to look good, to feel good. Clothing can be so expensive, this helps to take the burden off,” Muldoon said.

“It’s more than just clothing,” Kulick-Clark said. “It changes the way students view themselves. It provides them with the confidence they need to be successful.”

Do you have a ��ý story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu

The main reason we are all at college is to land a job and part of landing that job is to dress and look the part. Bear Essentials really is impactful, it helps students sew it all together.

Janete Monteiro, ’25

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Career Services

Photos by Kendall French, '26

The Job Ahead

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 18:48:13 +0000

The Job Ahead BBENSON@bridgew.edu Mon, 09/18/2023 - 14:48

Meet new director of Career Services and the Internship Program Office

September 19, 2023

Brian Benson, G’23

Growing up in Hong Kong, Dr. Gerald Tang attended schools where test scores played an outsized role in dictating a student’s future. After immigrating to America, he discovered a higher education system focused more on helping students discover their passions.

Tang embraced that sense of exploration as a student and professional.

“My true calling is helping people understand their skillsets and interest in what they want to do,” said Tang, who immigrated to the U.S. with his family as a teenager.

Tang sees ��ý as a great place to continue that mission as the first executive director of Career Services and the Internship Program Office. He looks forward to uniting the two in order to enhance support for students and alumni.

“The community cares about student success,” Tang said of an initial observation of ��ý. “��ý is a great institution.”

Tang comes to ��ý with more than 15 years of experience in higher education, including most recently serving as the inaugural assistant dean for career integration at St. Francis College in New York City.

As a first-generation student, Tang found supportive mentors during his undergraduate years who shaped his educational and career journey. Even back then, he served his peers as an orientation leader, resident assistant and career development intern.

“I now understand what it takes to help students be successful in their college experience and professional experience as well,” he said.

Tang is excited to work for a university with strong academic programs that is committed to innovation and social justice. He looks forward to larger conversations with employers about what comprises a living wage and ways to achieve a more diverse workforce.

“Our work isn’t just about short-term change,” he said. “Our hope is (to create) systemic changes across society at large.”

Do you have a ��ý story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

My true calling is helping people understand their skillsets and interest in what they want to do.

Dr. Gerald Tang

Tags

��ý Works

Internships

Career Services

Photo by Mackenzie Rubitschung, '21

Career Services

Think Your Major Defines Your Future? ������ý Says Think Again

Mentorship Matters

Tailor Made for Success

The Job Ahead

Think Your Major Defines Your Future? ��ý Says Think Again