If you ask prospective students, current students or their families to define what student success means to them, they are likely to talk about academic performance and landing a job in their field upon graduation. Success may be perceived as a future achievement.  

In the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at Temple University, however, preparation for success has no beginning and no end. Christa Hunter, director of professional experiences in the CEHD, says her office supports students through their entire academic journey.  

"We want students to engage with our office and to start early," Hunter says. In addition to academic support, she stresses the importance of the development of soft skills, such as interviewing, resume building and making connections to build up their network.  

The Office of Professional Experiences hosts a variety of opportunities for students to connect. Hunter says she meets the students where they are by going to classrooms, and she also offers one-on-one appointments. While many students turn to online searches for support, Hunter believes they often receive generalized information. In contrast, by partnering with her office, CEHD students can receive personalized support catered for their field.  

Every fall and spring semester, the college hosts a career fair - the next one is coming up on Nov. 1. The career fair will welcome a variety of schools, districts and intermediate units that are looking to hire a wide range of students, teachers, counselors, psychologists, behavior analysts and more. Also on Nov. 1, the college will engage student teachers in a professional development day where they will learn about the teacher certification process in Pennsylvania, hiring processes in the School District of Philadelphia and surrounding districts, and explore other resources available to support them as they get closer to graduation.  

Additionally, the CEHD alumni board is hosting a networking event in conjunction with the Temple Professional Network on Thursday, Nov. 14. This event is an opportunity for current CEHD students to meet and network with alumni mentors.  

Again, Hunter cautions, students should not wait to participate in career preparation activities. Most CEHD students have professional experiences integrated into their academic journey from the first year.  

"We implement early field placement for a reason," Hunter says. "We want them to feel comfortable. We want them to ask their questions in a supportive environment. Then, when they are in their first professional job in the field after graduation, they don't feel overwhelmed. They feel prepared."  

Each of these experiences, Hunter explains, is like a job interview. For this reason, she wants to ensure that students take advantage of the resources that are available and do so early. This approach supports students as they take on leadership roles in the community, where students and alumni are part of the solution to help advance equitable systems.  

Hunter says getting out into the community herself enables her to have an accurate pulse on what the community needs.  

"We love to hear from all of our students and employers to learn how we can improve our system so students can really make an impact," she says. "We're not just preparing students to get the jobs that are out there. We're hearing what employers need and making sure our programs are delivering and preparing students." 

"Every time I am in a School District of Philadelphia school, I meet an alum of our program, which is absolutely amazing to see," Hunter adds.  

Through a variety of community partnerships, Temple can place students, also known as Owl Educators, in a variety of settings, including schools, mental health organizations, intermediate units, hospitals, higher education institutions, human resource organizations and more. Those that are in schools hold a variety of roles - teachers, counselors, school psychologists, principals, district administrators and more.  

In addition to students and community partners, the Office of Professional Experiences also engages regularly with alumni. Alumni are often reaching out, interested in hiring Temple CEHD students. Hunter says she guides them through the process of posting their open positions on our jobs database, Handshake, and sometimes is able to connect them with students she believes will be a good fit.  

Other times, alumni visit campus to engage with students and provide mentorship.  

Still other times, alumni need support themselves in their own career journey. Hunter says she is here for them, too.  

"I'm absolutely here to help," Hunter says. "If you're looking for jobs after graduation, if you are facing a career shift, if you just need some extra help - I'm more than happy to provide resources." She adds that the university's Career Center may also be a resource for alumni.  

While she emphasizes that this support is ongoing, Hunter admits that graduation season is her favorite time of year.  

"Sometimes I get to meet with students who are finishing their degree program, and they tell me about the wonderful experiences they had during their field experience, and now they have earned the opportunity to work for that organization full time. I think that is success," she says.  

"I also think success looks like students who feel accomplished and ready to take on this new phase of life. I see success as building connections - students come out of their degree program not only having earned their degree, but also meeting leaders in the field, meeting their future employer, and building out their network as they continue to grow and learn after graduating. Students are comfortable launching their careers because of how they have been prepared at Temple."