Photo by Nicole Williams
This past week, Ramapo’s Cahill Career Center played host to their first ever Spirit Week. Students who visited the Center sporting Ramapo gear, either for an appointment or to ask about what the Cahill Career Center is all about, were entered into a drawing for different prizes.
“We were looking for ways to show support for Ramapo students,” said LaQuan Norman, managing assistant director and the career advisor for business students. “Spirit Week evolved out of a previous event, Spirit Day. Spirit Day was a day that the staff of Cahill would wear our gear to show our Roadrunner pride. As with any proposal, the idea was strengthened to include students visiting either of the Cahill offices, and wearing Ramapo gear over the course of a week.”
The Cahill Career Center offers many services – mainly career advisement and assessment – and hosts events geared toward career development and campus recruitment, to name a few. They also run the Archway, an online job bank. The Cahill Career Center’s mission is to prepare students and alumni to “be competitive in a dynamic global society through targeted career programs, individualized services, employer networking and community partnerships,” according to their website.
The goal of Spirit Week was for the Center to show their support and appreciation for the students.
“Of course, it would be great to attract more students to our offices to introduce them to our services. The original idea was to show our pride being part of this institution and working with such amazing students,” Norman added.
The Center was offering students gift certificates as prizes for Spirit Week. Besides showing an appreciation for the student body, the Center was really trying to get out the message, by holding this event, that the Cahill Center is a part of the Ramapo family.
“We are here to prepare students for their pursuits after graduation through self-assessment and career exploration, resume and cover letter writing and interview preparation, and also through experiential learning,” Norman said.
Senior Pablo Balmaseda gave his opinion of the event and the Center.
“As someone who has a lot of school pride, I think that this event was a great idea … I got my current job through the Archway, and without the resources the Center provides I wouldn’t currently be employed, and I also wouldn’t have the interviews that I have lined up,” Balmaseda commented.
Senior Jamie Deer finds the Center helpful, but didn’t find Spirit Week an attractive event.
“I’ve been to the Center once before to work on a resume. They were helpful, but not consistent, and having an event like this wouldn’t draw me in,” said Deer.
“They have been helpful for me,” said junior Michael Wirth. “And I think the Center holding events like this will help them get more recognized and the Center is definitely really needed for new students coming into Ramapo.”
lheckelm@ramapo.edu
