Graduating can be scary, especially when students feel they no longer have access to the resources they had throughout their academic career. UCCS organizations hosted an event that aimed to connect students with resources that help them long after they’ve donned their cap and gown.
On Oct. 23, the Students Today Alumni Tomorrow Club held the Life After UCCS event in Berger Hall to showcase what different organizations can help students after graduation. Organizations that were in attendance include Compass Curriculum, the Wellness Center, the Recreation Center, the Multi-Literacy Center and the Career Center.
“There’s no right way to do post-grad,” said STAT Club President Cesar Gonzalez. He emphasized that taking a gap year is a completely normal thing to do.
For Gonzalez, events like these are a great way to establish connections that last after graduation, which leads to success. He said that he has good friends at work and in life that are mentors from UCCS, noting that this common thread has helped him be more comfortable in the workplace and gives him social resources he otherwise wouldn’t have access to.
Jillian Raiger, a physiology and nutrition major, is in the midst of applying for graduate school and was excited about the event.
“I feel like they’ve done a really good job of having the resources here, with all the flyers and stuff,” Raiger said.
Such resources are the new PORT 4000 class being introduced this spring by Compass Curriculum. According to the Compass Curriculum website, the class will count for the writing portfolio general education credit and will guide students through building a professional portfolio that they can share with employers, clients or grad schools to showcase their knowledge and abilities.
To help find the right mental health and wellness resources after graduation, the Wellness Center offers a transition period for students post-graduation. For one semester after graduating, students can still pay the Wellness Center fee.
Graduates can use this semester to get help finding free or low-cost mental health resources and health insurance. Raiger was also happy with the ability to have help finding health insurance through the programs offered at the Wellness Center.
The Recreation Center also allows students access after they graduate. Alumni and their families can purchase memberships to the Rec Center on their website post-graduation. Alumni membership costs $480 annually, and the alumni family membership costs $1,730 annually and includes two adults and two dependents. These memberships may be purchased as long as the alumni holds a UCCS Alumni Association membership card. Memberships for the Rec Center are not available to the general public.
According to the Alumni & Friends website, the free to apply for UCCS Alumni Association membership card also gives alumni discounts at the bookstore and Theatreworks and free admission to athletic events, according to STAT Club Advisor Christy Iaccabo.
The EXCEL Multiliteracy Center can give students one-on-one help with writing resumes, scholarship applications and personal statements. The center can also aid in interview preparation, according to the representative from the center that was present at the event.
Like the Multiliteracy Center, the Career Center can help in one-on-one interview preparation, via practice interviews, as well as resume writing, according to the representative present at the event.
The Career Center is also home to Clyde’s Closet, a free professional clothing closet which can help students prepare their wardrobe for a professional setting. The center also has job searching programs and can help alumni get connections for finding work.
More alumni resources can be found on the Alumni & Friends Association website.
Photo courtesy of UCCS Photography Database.