Student-workers from across Penn State Brandywine recently explored their identity and values at a professional development workshop, writes Ayako Ota for Penn State Brandywine.

 “It was eye-opening,”  said Ankur Sinha, a first-year Brandywine student who works as a life office assistant.  “It definitely brought in a different aspect of career development that I hadn’t thought about before.”

The workshop for the student workers examined the values of Penn State Brandywine’s Strategic Plan, including the idea of equity.

Equity, or fairness, has to permeate everything that’s done with the students—in the classroom and when working with student employees, said Vippy Yee, Rosenberg Director of the Center for Ethics and Civic Engagement. She was a co-facilitator of the workshop.

“So I see this training as being fundamental to that, and I honestly wish that it was a workshop that I could give to every student on this campus,” Yee said.

Hope Stylios, a student who works in the IT Department, attended a professional development workshop in November focusing on resume building and was also in attendance Feb. 1.

“I definitely see it as a great way to expand upon my resources here and see what else I can take away from the campus besides my job.”

Coordinator of Career Services Christine Allen loves helping students do some self-exploration

 “I love to see students grow and bud in their self-understanding and how to translate that beyond the classroom,” Allen said. “A big part of what I do is to help them with planning for their future and developing their future selves.”

So many students just coming into college are expected to know so much about their future, Allen said.

“My role is to give them that comfort with where they are and be a good listening ear and then to provide them with a pathway for them to gain clarity for themselves,” Allen said.

Read more at Penn State Brandywine about this student workshop focusing on professional development.

Find out more about Penn State Brandywine.