Get Career Advice from an Alum through our Fall 2020 Mentorship Program!

The Office of Alumni Relations and Office of Career Services and Leadership Management are pleased to offer a special opportunity to meet virtually with alumni for career mentoring!

Mentoring Program Overview

Through this program, students can request to connect with up to 2 alums per month for 1:1 conversations to:

    • Gain insights and perspectives about a career path, field, organization, or industry;
    • Get advice about career planning, searching and applying for jobs (including resume writing), networking, interviewing, or navigating life after CSSW; OR
    • Seek support in general from someone who’s been in your shoes as a student

Interested? 

    1. Fill out this mentoring program interest form. On the form, you will find a link to a directory with a list of all available volunteer mentors. Select the one you’re interested in meeting. Note that you will have to complete this form for each request.
    2. After submitting the form, you will receive an email confirmation as well as an introductory email from Jennifer March from Alumni Relations connecting you to the alum of choice within 2 business days. If you don’t hear from Jennifer in that time frame, please email her at [email protected].
    3. Once you receive the email, it will be your responsibility to arrange a meeting directly with the alum using the contact information provided. While Zoom meetings are recommended, you can choose a platform that works best for both you and the alum.

Remember: This is NOT a forum to ask for a job or a recommendation for a job, but rather an opportunity to gather valuable information based on their knowledge and expertise.

After the initial meeting, it will be up to you and the alum to decide whether to stay in touch.

For more information, refer to our program overview.

Questions?

For general questions about our alumni mentors, please email Jennifer March at [email protected].
You can also refer to our Informational Interview Guide or schedule an appointment with our office to discuss your questions further.
We hope you take advantage of this opportunity!

Exclusive Global Career Resource for Students and Alumni

Did you know that as a student or graduate of Columbia School of Social Work, you have free access to GoinGlobal, an international career resource for both domestic and international candidates?

Whether you are interested in pursuing an opportunity across town or around the world, take a look at GoinGlobal, including their country and city career guidesdirectory of employers, H1B visa employer listings, and opportunities in 120 locations worldwide.

With the changed employment landscape due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have recently added a wealth of new resources to support your job search.

Take a look at the links found on their homepage sidebar “Job Search During COVID”:

    • Working During a Pandemic – forward thinking job search and networking tips
    • COVID Career Advice – timely news articles covering a range of topicsGlobal
    • Employment Briefings – areas of job promise in key countries

You can also find new economic information in their country career guides under “Snapshot” and “Job Search Overview.” Note every country guide has a dedicated section under “Finding a Job” about “Telework and Freelance.”

To learn more about the site’s features and resources, take a look at their user training schedule.

Corporate Social Responsibility Panel with SEA Caucus | Wednesday, March 4

Interested in learning about careers in corporate social responsibility? See below for a great panel organized by SEA Caucus Leaders, featuring the following guest speakers.

Event: Corporate Social Responsibility Panel
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 4 @ 8 PM
Location: Room C06

  • Edgar Avalos ’16, Senior Program Associate, Youth & Workforce Initiatives – Global Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase Foundation
  • Veena Jayadeva, Director of CSR, Guardian Life
  • Lisa Meng, Corporate Social Responsibility – Societal Impact, Verizon
  • Nicoletta Bumbac, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Analyst, JetBlue
Register here.
Wine and cheese will be provided.

Please contact Caucus Leader Laura Burgos at [email protected] with any questions.

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES: Columbia University makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. If you require disability accommodations to attend an event at Columbia University, please contact the Office of Disability Services at (212) 854-2388 or [email protected] at least 5 days in advance of the event.

A Journey Towards a Dynamic Social Work Career

We were thrilled to welcome back alumna Ashleigh Washington ’09, Senior Director of Learning and Staff Development at Safe Horizon, to discuss how she shaped her social work career, from providing direct services and managing programs to leading trainings for a national organization!

Attendees had the opportunity to gain a number of takeaways, including:

  • Taking the time to reflect on your experiences and assessing the activities in which you excel, the issues and causes that drive you, and the environments in which you enjoy working and thrive;
  • Embracing every opportunity as a learning opportunity; and
  • Owning your own career journey, including actively seeking ways to grow, build skills and expertise, and contribute

Thank you, Ashleigh, for sharing your inspiring story and these useful tips on building a fulfilling career!

Did you miss the talk? The captioned recordings for this and Dr. Joy Ippolito’s talk are now available in Career Connect’s Document Library within the Workshops / Webinars / Presentations Folder. (UNI login required.)

Students Gain Insight into Social Impact Investing

We were thrilled to welcome Dr. Joy Ippolito, a social work-trained Social Impact Investment Director, and her team members, Amber Porter, Venture Capital Associate, and Chaarvi Badani, Fall VC Associate and current Columbia SIPA student, for a talk about their work at the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact last Wednesday!

Dr. Ippolito, Amber, and Chaarvi shared their varied paths to social impact investing and the ways in which they have brought their unique experiences and skill sets to this work. A few highlights from the discussion include the importance of:

  • Defining how you want to help people and make a difference in terms of concrete skills and expertise;
  • Taking the time to build the necessary content knowledge by working with different organizations and communities both on the ground and on a macro-level; and
  • Understanding and effectively communicating the value of these experiences and perspectives in advocating for meaningful and sustainable social change.

We are grateful to Dr. Ippolito, Amber, and Chaarvi, American Family Insurance, as well as Dr. Desmond Patton for making this event possible!

*If you missed the talk, a recorded and captioned video will be made available to students within the Document Library in the next few weeks. A copy of the presentation slides that provides an overview of AmFam’s mission and investment focus areas has already been posted and made available in the Library.

Career Talk with Ashleigh Washington ’09 | Wednesday, December 4

Join us for an intimate conversation with Ashleigh Washington ’09, Senior Director of Learning and Staff Development at Safe Horizon, on how her talent for innovation and strategic leadership has driven her experiences in social work and nonprofit management.

Career Talk with Ashleigh Washington
Wednesday, December 4, 12:30 – 1:30 PM
CSSW Room C05
Live-stream available; registration required.

Register here

About Ashleigh

Ashleigh Washington is currently the Senior Director of Learning and Staff Development at Safe Horizon, the nation’s leading victims services agency. She leads training and professional development for the agency’s 900+ employees.

Her talent for innovation and strategic leadership has driven her experiences in the field of social work over the last 13 years. Ashleigh has also worked in the fields of substance abuse, public education, healthcare, and supportive housing, providing both direct practice and management in the non-profit sector.

Ashleigh holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Prairie View A&M University in Texas, and a master’s in social work from Columbia University. She is currently a Ph.D. student in social welfare at the City University of New York.

She is also the founder of HumanizEd Learning, an online professional and career development company for social service professionals. Visit ashleighwashington.com to sign up for a free online course.

Getting Started with the Job Search Process

Whether you plan to apply for a summer internship or post-grad opportunity, there are steps you can take now to prepare, including drafting a target list of employers. You can begin this process by:

  • Researching organizations you want to work for based on their mission and impact. Not sure where to start? Check out the links in the Employer Research folder within the Document Library of Career Connect.
  • Identifying opportunities within these organizations that align with your knowledge, skills, and interests.
  • Making connections and conducting informational interviews with people working at these organizations in roles that you hope to attain.

Learn more at our Job Search Workshop on Tuesday, October 27 from 1:00 to 1:50 PM in Room C06! There will be another workshop for those seeking summer opportunities on Thursday, November 14.

Career Talk with Dr. Joy Ippolito | Wednesday, November 20

UPDATE: The talk will also feature Amber Porter, Venture Capital Associate, and Chaarvi Badani, Fall VC Associate and current Columbia SIPA student.

Join us for an intimate conversation with Dr. Joy Ippolito, Social Impact Investment Director at American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, on how she uses her social work background and 18+ years of experience in social impact policy and research to guide venture capital investments for health youth development.

Career Talk with Dr. Joy Ippolito
Wednesday, November 20, 12:30 – 1:30 PM
CSSW Room C05

Register here

About Dr. Joy Ippolito

Dr. Joy Ippolito is a Social Impact Investment Director  or the newly launched American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact. She has more than 18 years of policy, research, and graduate teaching experience in urban education, child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, and supporting healthy families and communities. She uses this knowledge to guide venture capital investments she makes in healthy youth development. Prior to joining the Institute, Joy was a state policy executive and the first Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. She previously taught human development at the Urban Education Institute and conducted implementation and evaluation research at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, where she was the project manager for the federal evaluation of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI) for Chicago Public Schools.

She holds a doctorate in human development and master’s degree in prevention science and practice from Harvard University, a master’s degree in clinical social work from the University of Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Loyola University Chicago.