From the first day on campus, Saint Joseph’s College students will know that there is something unique about their college choice: they are at the heart of every decision that is made and the newly launched Connections Program reinforces this.

SJC does this through a collaboration between the College’s Career Development Office, Institutional Advancement, and the Alumni Office. Connections brings the whole idea of career preparation under one roof.

Alumni who have developed their passions into meaningful careers will serve as mentors for students; faculty with career insight and insider tips will lead students to the right sources for their careers’ next steps; and the College will support students’ plans for learning outside of the classroom.

Beginning with the incoming class of 2018, all freshmen are provided with endless opportunities to make connections between their passion, their academic coursework, and their future through career development sessions, networking socials, career-focused academic programs, and, most highly anticipated, the promise of funding for experiential learning.

Saint Joseph’s College, focused on preparing its students for life after college, will financially support students to pursue an experiential learning opportunity their junior or senior year—to the tune of $2,000. Backed by their professor and having successfully managed the application process, the College will provide each student the opportunity to utilize a grant of up to $2,000 to be applied to a hands-on learning experience, whether that’s an internship, study abroad or volunteer program, or to pursue research in the field of their choosing.

Saint Joseph’s helps to ensure students keep the career connections they form by making available to each student their own, personalized business cards. It’s a tried-and-true approach to connecting professionals to professionals, tomorrow’s leaders to today’s leaders, and young entrepreneurs to other, like-minded visionaries.

Designed and printed in house, Connections provides every student the opportunity to get their own Saint Joseph’s College business card, which prominently displays the student’s name, class year, major, and contact information. So when a student connects with a nationally renowned photographer on a whale shark expedition off the Yucatán Peninsula, a simple exchange at the end of the excursion will connect student to professional, visionary to vision.

It’s all about making and keeping connections, and Saint Joseph’s College is making it happen. Learn more about the SJC Connections program at sjcme.edu/connections.