Every year over spring break, the Seaver College Career Center hosts a Career Trek where they take a group of students to tour companies and professionally network in a major American city. This year the Career Center took students to the nation’s capital.
Students said they saw many positive outcomes of the experience — students received mentorship from alumni, and many left feeling inspired by the strong work cultures of the companies visited.
Pepperdine’s 2024 Career Trek opened up new horizons for students wanting to learn more about postgrad opportunities. Organized by the Seaver College Career Center, the Career Trek ran from Feb. 28, to March 1, in Washington D.C.
The Career Trek kickstarted with a tour of the White House on the morning of Feb. 28.
Junior Bill Qiu said he had a wonderful experience at the 2023 Career Trek. Qiu said everyone who attends is interested in gaining professional job experience, so there are many meaningful conversations to be held.
“It gives you a perspective of companies that are different from the ones that you are focusing on,” Qiu said.
Pepperdine alumni introduced students to Yext, The Pew Charitable Trusts and the International Justice Mission over the next two days. Students immersed themselves in the company workspaces as they learned about the companies through current employees.
Qiu was able to see the companies’ workplace cultures in action during their company tours — an authenticity that cannot be learned just by reading company websites, he said.
During a panel held at the Washington D.C. campus Feb. 29, alumni shared their insights on navigating life postgrad.
The alumni provided a variety of career paths to learn from as they each graduated with bachelor’s degrees in different majors and worked in drastically different jobs. Among them was Ashley Mowreader (’22), a reporter at Inside Higher Ed and former editor at the Graphic, Alex Booker (’14), an associate manager of government performance at Pew Charitable Trust, and Nick Schifano (’17), a law clerk serving the United States Senate.
Qiu found it memorable to chat at a mixer held at Mission Dupont with Mitch Bennet (’15), who also majored in Finance at Pepperdine, he said. Qiu learned how Bennet applied his major to his current job as a director of Professional Services at Yext.
“I definitely appreciate these opportunities to talk with people that I otherwise would not have the chance to talk with,” Qiu said.
Junior Dylan Chai said he learned about the Career Trek through his friend Issac Kim, who works at the Career Center as a Student Specialist. Chai wanted to take advantage of the resources and experiences Pepperdine offers.
Chai said the Career Trek broadened his horizons for life after Pepperdine. He was able to learn about non-corporate companies such as the Pew Research Center.
Chai said he found it memorable to network with alumni.
“We all kind of understand Pepperdine culture. We understand where each other is coming from,” Chai said “Getting to know the alumni who are working these jobs that we’re hearing about — that’s magical.”
Chai said he has already recommended the Career Trek to his friends. Not only did he have a fun time in D.C., but he also took away some practical insights he could apply to his professional life as a Communication major.
The alumni panel frequently mentioned their work friendships kept them at companies. Chai said it reassured him communication is essential at work.
“That’s something that I definitely want to pursue as being a part of that team-oriented type of environment — that more hospitable and friendly culture,” Chai said.
Chai and Qiu both praised the Career Center.
“They care if you’re safe, and they make all these agendas — doing everything crystal clear,” Qiu said.
Chi said he found it enjoyable to get to know the Career Center staff.
“Just knowing that these are the type of people that Pepperdine hires speaks a lot to Pepperdine as a school,” Chai said.
As a senior figuring out postgrad, Audrey Hartono said she was motivated to apply and learn about work opportunities in D.C.
“Going on the career track gives me an opportunity in terms of knowing what I like about the city,” Hartono said.
The Yext company tour impacted Hartono the most, she said.
“Even before when I was doing research about the company, I thought the company itself was really interesting and the culture that they have as well as the way they branded themselves,” Hartono said.
Hartono said students — especially first-years and sophomores — should go on the Career Trek if they have no spring break plans.
“It’s an opportunity for you to have more exposure in terms of professional opportunities out there,” Hartono said.
Senior Jackie Ferrari said she was excited to explore D.C. as she had never been before. She enjoyed seeing the friendly workplace culture at Yext and networking with alumni.
“It does help to network with alumni and learn more about what it’s like to work in a company,” Ferrari said. “It may expand your horizons as far as what companies are out there that you can apply for.”
Ferrari has her postgrad figured out, but the Career Trek has given her clarity on the companies she could apply for later in life, she said.
“It’s opened up new doors and avenues of new companies that I can apply for,” Ferrari said.
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Contact Sophia Luo via email: sophialuo.luo@pepperdine.edu
