In August, Career Planning & Resources (CP&R) expanded their career exploration and networking offerings, hosting its first trek to Bay Area firms specializing in publishing, public relations, and marketing. The trek was sponsored by parents David and Moni Butze P’18, who also hosted a networking dinner for alumnae and students.

CP&R treks connect Scripps students with alumnae and employers in a range of industries—film and television, technology and start-ups, and government and civil service—in  cities nationwide, typically spanning visiting 9–10 firms over three days. Students in the August trek met with alumnae and representatives from the literary agencies Books and Such Literary Management and Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners; public relations firm Double Forte; publishers Chronicle Books and Counterpoint Press; and media specialists PopSugar. At each stop, students met with employees who spoke about the industry and answered questions about their personal career paths and experiences navigating creative industries.

Treks are designed to help students clarify the next steps in their career journeys and develop their networking skills. According to Rachael Bratlien, CP&R’s associate director and career counselor, “One clear outcome for students that continues to emerge is how effective these experiences are at demystifying networking.”

Students often express anxiety about how to reach out to professionals, citing lack of proper etiquette or fear they’ll be a bother. Bratlien says that after three days of interacting with alumnae where they hear career stories and practice networking with their peers, they begin to relax and their confidence grows.

Sarah Wong ’18 agrees: “I was able to better understand the kind of behavior that is expected of me during a networking event. And, it was genuinely fun meeting and speaking with everyone about their experiences.”

For student Lina Purtscher ’18, hearing from Scripps alumnae about their jobs was inspiring. “The trek really helped me to get a sense of how Scripps prepares us to enter the professional world, and it was very encouraging to see Scrippsies thriving in their post-grad lives.”

CP&R currently hosts three career exploration and networking treks per year and is exploring businesses in Chicago, San Diego, and Seattle. If you are interested in learning more about CP&R treks, visit the Career Planning website. To host a visit with your company or sponsor an upcoming trek, contact CP&R at careers@scrippscollege.edu or (909) 607-8180.

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