Career Development Program
Linked Into the Digital Job Market Lunch & Learn with Career Development
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Lunch & Learn about being "Linked Into the Digital Job Search". You will have an opportunity to take a professional headshot and learn how to use technology in your job search. This series of events will be held it the Lighthouse in Clarke Hall and is open to all students, alumni faculty & staff. You can register through Handshake to reserve your seat. This series is funded in part by Title III grant from the US Department of Education
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Pop-In Resume & Interview Tips Lunch & Learn with Career Development
Thursday, January 16, 2025 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
This is part of our J-Term Career Week. You are invited to Lunch & Learn focused on Resume & Networking Tips. You will have an opportunity to learn how to create a successful resume that will impress employers and practice your 30-second commercial and other key networking strategies that you can use to stand out from the crowd. This series of events will be held at the Lighthouse in Clarke Hall and is open to all students, alumni faculty & staff. You can register through Handshake to reserve your seat. This series is funded in part by Title III grant from the US Department of Education
Linked Into the Digital Job Market Lunch & Learn with Career Development
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
This is part of our J-Term Career Week. You are invited to Lunch & Learn about being "Linked Into the Digital Job Search". You will have an opportunity to take a professional headshot and learn how to use technology in your job search. This series of events will be held at the Lighthouse in Clarke Hall and is open to all students, alumni faculty & staff. You can register through Handshake to reserve your seat. This series is funded in part by Title III grant from the US Department of Education.
VWU Career Networking and Social Hour
Wednesday, January 22, 2025 @ 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
This is the final session of our J-Term Career Week programming, and an opportunity to utilize all of the networking skills you developed as you enjoy appetizers and win some prizes and connect with local employers as well as VWU faculty and staff. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate what you learned about how to stand out in your job search and what businesses look for in new hires. This event will be held in Brock Commons and is open to students, faculty & staff. Maximum Attendees: 50 Register through Handshake to reserve your seat. This series is funded in part by a Title III grant from the US Department of Education.
Employers interested in participating should reach out to Andrea Grant, Coordinator of Student Professional Development at agrant@vwu.edu.
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Wesleyan Engaged
Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Week: Native wildflower seed bomb making
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Join us in the Lighthouse to make native
wildflower seed bombs to support the Hoffler Creek’s gardens. We will also be
showcasing the documentary King: Man of Peace in a Time of War (2007).
Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Week: Paracord lanyard and thank-you card making
Wednesday, January 22, 2025 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Join us in the Lighthouse to create
paracord lanyards and thank-you cards for Operation Gratitude. These handmade items
will be sent to deployed troops to show our appreciation and support.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Week: Seats at the Table film screening and discussion
Wednesday, January 22, 2025 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
A screening of Seats at the Table, a documentary film that tells the story of a
college class which brings together students from the University of Virginia and
juveniles at a maximum-security correctional center.
In the semester-long course, Books Behind Bars, university students and young
correctional center residents meet once a week to analyze and discuss the works of
Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and other Russian authors, with an aim toward exploring the
urgent life questions these works elicit: What makes for a happy life? How can I be true
to myself? What is my responsibility to others? Given that I’m going to die, how should I
live? The literature is the prism through which the classmates share their most intimate
human stories and discuss their lives openly and honestly.
The film explores the relationship between education and transformation, revealing the
humanity behind institutional stereotypes, both collegiate and correctional. Each group
learns from the other and cultivates a much more nuanced understanding of the other.
The classmates come away transformed by the educational experience, empowered to
pursue lives of greater purpose and inspired by the discovery of their shared humanity.
Following a screening of the film, Darryl Byers-Robinson will share insights and lead
discussion.
While serving time at the Eastern New York Correctional Facility, Darryl Byers-
Robinson participated in the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI). It changed his life forever. He
now travels the country speaking to students, communities, and legislators about
criminal justice issues and prison education reform. He currently serves as the Assistant
Program Director at a therapeutic youth program for victims of abuse and works as an
advisor to Pennsylvania colleges and universities on their higher education in prison
programs. Byers-Robinson is Virginia Wesleyan’s keynote speaker for the University’s
2025 MLK Commemoration Program.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Week: Incarceration to Transformation: Education as a Catalyst for Change
Thursday, January 23, 2025 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
When incarcerated individuals earn a bachelor’s degree, it’s not just a piece of paper.
It’s a key to breaking the cycle of incarceration, reducing recidivism, and unlocking new
economic opportunities. Education can be a catalyst for life-changing, transformative
growth.
Virginia Wesleyan University is proud to launch a groundbreaking initiative, bringing
university courses and degree programs to incarcerated individuals at St. Brides and
Indian Creek Correctional Facilities in Chesapeake, VA. VWU is the first university in
the state to offer such degrees. As part of this effort, we’re excited to welcome Darryl
Byers Robinson, whose life was forever changed by the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI)
during his time at the Eastern New York Correctional Facility. His testimony asks you to
rethink justice, second chances, and the impact of education in even the most unlikely
places.
Following his talk, Dr. Susan Larkin, VWU Provost, and Mr. Gil Bland, President of the
Urban League of Hampton Roads, will share on the vision behind the groundbreaking
collaboration designed to change lives and create opportunities for those transitioning
out of incarceration.
On this special day, as we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we’ll also
celebrate a student whose dedication to justice and education exemplifies Dr. King’s
ideals by awarding them the university’s annual Mavis McKenley ’11 Award.
Be part of a conversation that challenges stereotypes, reshapes futures, and celebrates
the transformative power of education.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Week: Banner signing
Friday, January 24, 2025 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Join us in the Lighthouse to honor Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.'s legacy by pledging to give back to our communities through service.
Sign a banner to make your commitment to volunteer and support unity and social
justice. Don’t forget to drop off your shoe donation for Winter’s Place!
