Students say Centre Futures paves road to success

RELEASED: September 28, 2008

DANVILLE, KY—Centre Futures, administered by the Office of Career Services, is an innovative program at Centre College that begins in a student's first year and continues throughout and beyond four years on campus. Participants are encouraged to begin meeting with their career counselors early so that they're ahead of the game by their senior year and well prepared to jump into a career or attend graduate school.

Ashley Forns '08, a double major in art history and French, joined Centre Futures as a first-year student in order to get some structured guidance.

"Honestly, I'm a horrible procrastinator!" Forns says. "It helped me get a head start in researching graduate schools and gave me access to materials for finding internships."

During her time at Centre, Forns completed two internships: a marketing position at the University of Kentucky Art Museum during the summer of 2006 and a position on Centre's campus at the Grace Doherty Library during CentreTerm 2008.

Forns currently attends Indiana University, earning a dual master's degree in library science and art history.

Christopher McCarty '08, an anthropology/sociology major, says that Centre Futures is a great way to gain valuable information about interviewing, meeting future employers and building a résumé.

"Through Centre Futures I've obtained an overseas job in Germany after I graduate and two very exciting internships since I've been at Centre," McCarty says.

During his senior year, McCarty interned in a marketing position at Danville's The Idea Farm, an international marketing and public relations firm. He also interned at the Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery in Danville, doing everything from promotion to advertisement consulting to bottling several types of wine.

McCarty currently is in Garmisch, Germany, taking part in a 13-month position at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, an organization nestled in the Alps and maintained by the U.S. Defense Department. It caters to the needs of its employees and their family members, as well as offers special discounts to U.S. troops who recently served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

When asked why she joined Centre Futures, Mayra Angel '09, a double major in international studies and government, says, "Why not? This is an amazing opportunity to get a head start in thinking about my future. These three years have flown by, and it's nice to know I have somewhat of a plan for my life after Centre."

Angel says everyone in the Career Services office is eager to help students find internships, externships and summer programs.

"It's been a relief to discover there's a plethora of opportunities just waiting to be discovered by willing students. Second, I've improved at résumé writing with the help of Deb Jones (director of career services)," Angel says.

Angel was recently involved in a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) externship with Centre alum Jamie Etherton '03.

"I got a pretty cool glimpse of a nonprofit and met wonderful people," Angel says. "After graduation, I plan to go to graduate school, learn new languages and make a positive change in the world!"

The benefits of enrolling in Centre Futures as a first-year student are many. Click here to learn more and to explore the Career Services Web page.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.