Meet the Writers: Mikaila Bisson

Hello, everyone!

My name is Mikaila Bisson and I am one of the writers behind the Career Development Center blog. Along with Nicole Mutua and Sarah Carpenter, I write about what is happening at the Career Development Center. Since there are three of us, we thought it would be beneficial to readers to get to know a little bit about each of us and our journeys with the CDC.

This is me while I was studying abroad in Ireland!

To start off, I’ll give some general information about myself. I am a senior this year, studying English with a Creative Writing Emphasis. I have a Business minor and, while I’m still not sure what I want to do with this combination, I figure as long as I know how to write well and think in terms of Business I should be off to a good start. I have a twin sister who also goes to Hope, and am from the East side of Michigan. Last year I studied abroad in Ireland, and if I could, I’d go back in a heartbeat! I love to spend time with friends, play soccer, and read a good book in my spare time. Now that you know a little about me, I want to give you a little more information about my relationship with the Career Development Center.

I began using the CDC my first semester of freshman year. I had no idea what I wanted to major in or where to begin to find that out! I had heard through activities done in my Freshman Year Seminar class that the Career Development Center was the place to start, so I wandered over to Anderson-Werkman and scheduled an appointment with Amy Freehafer. She helped talk me through my StengthsQuest strengths and how I could implement those into my major. She also helped me discover that I had a passion for fine arts, specifically English, and I decided to declare my English major the following year (after many, many more conversations). Amy helped me draw out who I was helped me discover a major that I absolutely love.

My next adventure with the CDC came my sophomore year when I was finishing up my Business minor. I was required by many classes to create a resume as well as a LinkedIn account, and was encouraged to start looking for internships. Now that I had figured out my major, it was time to switch my point person from Amy to Jena Gasworth. Meeting with Jena was extremely helpful – she gave me a base on which to start my resume and my LinkedIn account. She also gave me resources that connected me to companies that had available internships. Although I chose not to pursue an internship that year, Jena gave me professional help launched me into my time as an upperclassman.

Junior year, I was given the opportunity to work as a receptionist in the CDC office working closely with the professionals that work with students every day. It was an experience that introduced me to a different, but equally exciting job position through the CDC titled Career Advisor. I applied for the position second semester of my junior year while I studied abroad, and that brought me to where I am today – a senior Career Advisor!

As a senior, the overwhelming pressure to get a job after graduation mounts on me every day, but I know I am blessed to be working here alongside people that care about me as well as my accomplishments. I’ve gotten to connect with Megan Fisher as I think about networking to find a job, as well as Dale Austin as I discover that I need interview skills to secure a job. Although I haven’t worked with her directly, Shannon Schans has also formed my experience at the CDC as she always any questions I have and brings a smile to any conversation.

My journey with the Career Development Center has been extensive and I’ve only had wonderful, enriching experiences with the office. As a student soon going out into a new world of careers and jobs, I feel thoroughly prepared because of the services the CDC offered me and the relationships that have been fostered through their office.

If you haven’t worked with the CDC yet, I highly encourage you to make an appointment and see how their services can help you – I promise it will be worth it!

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