Lewisburg, Pa., April 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Recognizing the advanced challenges dealing with at present’s graduates — formed by fast technological change, evolving hiring practices and the rising affect of AI — Bucknell College’s Kenneth W. Freeman Faculty of Administration has taken a extra proactive, hands-on method to supporting its college students’ profession journeys.
This spring, the faculty created two new positions — Profession Search Accelerators — to supply customized steerage that goes past conventional profession companies. Slightly than ready for college kids to hunt out help, the accelerators actively establish and attain out to these nonetheless looking out, inviting them right into a one-on-one teaching course of tailor-made to their targets.
They ship industry-specific steerage whereas additionally serving to them grasp important career-readiness abilities, corresponding to interview preparation and wage negotiation techniques. Due to the Freeman Faculty’s close-knit scale, teaching is very individualized, permitting for sustained, relationship-driven help all through every scholar’s search.
After solely seven weeks, the Profession Search Accelerators have assisted greater than 50 college students who secured jobs. Dozens extra had their utility supplies, job search methods and interviewing abilities strengthened as they place themselves for a profitable transition from school to profession.
“Ensuring our graduating seniors are ready to succeed in their job search is a top priority, and we are committed to providing the resources and support they need to achieve their career goals,” says Michelle Roehm, Kenneth W. Freeman Professor & dean of the Faculty of Administration. “We are very proud to see the early successes of having a specialized, embedded layer of support at Freeman for our students.”
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The mixture of tailor-made steerage and sensible help performed a serious function in serving to Kenneth “KJ” Scott ’26, markets, innovation & design, land a “life-changing” job as a mission engineer at Clark Development Group, one of many largest constructing and infrastructure corporations in america.
“It’s the alternative of a lifetime to have a superb job with a superb wage popping out of faculty,” says Scott, who came to Bucknell from Washington, D.C., as a part of the Posse Scholars Program, a college access program that awards individuals with extraordinary leadership potential a full tuition scholarship. “Working with the Profession Accelerators helped me with my general confidence. I feel it had a number of affect.”
To gain that confidence, Scott polished his interview skills with Career Search Accelerator Tony Gomez ’16, whose previous experience includes recruiting individuals for Fortune 500 companies. Based in California, Gomez brings firsthand knowledge and experience to understanding markets that might otherwise feel geographically out of reach for students on the East Coast.
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Returning to Bucknell gave Gomez, who recently completed an MBA and a master’s degree in human resource management at George Washington University, the opportunity to provide the same encouragement and support he once received as an undergraduate.
“We wish to make that constructive change for these college students — that is why we’re right here,” he says. “We’re invested in serving to these college students discover success, and the truth that it may possibly change their lives, that is the cherry on prime.”
Gomez’s counterpart, Lisa Ford, brings more than 25 years of experience working with students to develop their skills, plans and confidence to secure meaningful employment. At Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, Ford was the associate director for student success at the Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies. There, she designed career-focused opportunities for students, including creating the Real Estate Boot Camp. She worked closely with employers to develop internship programs and built connections between students, faculty and industry leaders. She also was named acting director of the university’s Presidential Leadership Academy. She views the ability to meet students where they are in the career journey as key to the Career Accelerators’ early successes.
“Each scholar brings a singular background and a definite set of ambitions to the desk,” Ford says. “Our job is to supply the help and empower the scholars to steer their very own journeys and discover success of their desired careers.”
Scott encountered the Career Accelerators on campus after receiving initial advice from Bucknell alumni who worked at the company where he was applying.
“I reached out to my community, and so they gave me a quick rundown about what the job entails, however I would not have had what I wanted if I relied on simply them,” says Scott. “Tony was very upbeat and alluring and gave me a number of phrases of encouragement and constructed my confidence. He knew what I wanted and repeatedly adopted up.”
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As the first person in his family to earn a bachelor’s degree, having a job lined up weeks ahead of graduation is particularly special for Scott.
“It feels surreal to me,” he says. “I have not taken all of it in but. It is a blessing, to say the least, and really thrilling. It made the entire stress and exhausting work of the previous 4 years really feel price it.”
Offering Customized Profession Steerage
