Professional Development Panel
On Thursday, December 7th, the Student Chapter hosted a professional development panel to prepare students for the vast opportunities after completing higher education. This event showcased various paths that professionals in our industry have taken to reach their current position.
The event commenced with a warm welcome and introduction from our Student Chapter Co-Chairs, Student Chapter President, and Student Chapter board members. Our panel was moderated by Carrie Long, a Senior Planner at the Toole Design Group. The panel included Nadiyah Lee, an Electrical Engineer at Burns Engineering; Tara Hofferth, a Senior Engineer/Planner at Kittleson & Associates; Rashid Kirkland, a Manager for Fleet Services at the City of Philadelphia; and Nicole Khan, a Senior Engineer at TPD. The panel described various experiences in undergraduate, graduate, or trade school and how those decisions and experiences correlated to their position today. These panelists varied greatly in career path, educational background and experience levels, to provide a full picture to our students. Students were able to ask valuable questions of the panelists during and after the panel to gain further insights.
After the panel, students were able to have their resume professionally reviewed by one of the panelists or one of the other professional volunteers at the event. These volunteers also varied in career path, education and company. While their resume was not being reviewed, students were able to network with each other and the various professional volunteers available to learn about their career paths, current roles and any guidance they can give their younger selves.
We would like to thank Gannett Fleming for hosting this event and extend heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors and the dedicated professional volunteers from various engineering firms and public agencies. This event served as an invaluable opportunity for students to gain knowledge and experience, and we are immensely appreciative of our ability to offer this support to them on their educational journey.