Authoring career journeys all their own

Finding their path

The center’s more specialized approach to career exploration includes newly established industry-specific pathways, designed to help students understand the job market in a number of sectors and prepare them for the range of structured or unstructured recruiting processes that exist in different fields. 

When the full expansion of its staffing and programming is complete, the center will offer additional advising, learning opportunities, and resources in key pathways, including technology and tech ventures, finance and consulting, arts and media, science and engineering, and careers in the common good. This is in addition to existing pre-professional advising for careers in health and medicine and law. 

“We envision the pathways being a bridge to information for students who are interested in these industries,” says Kidd. “It’s a great way for them to develop more resources and more connections to alumni in these areas. We want them to have a better understanding of the stepping stones in each area and what they can do to get their foot in the door.”

Before it evolved into an industry-specific pathway, Careers in the Common Good encompassed signature internships at community organizations, nonprofits, and government programs. The development of a full pathway in this area—with tailored advising, student workshops, and more experiential learning opportunities—is crucial at Brown as more than a quarter of each graduating class pursues work in this sector after graduation.

As part of his iProv Fellowship—which falls under the banner of Careers in the Common Good—Michael Ochoa ’25 worked with the African Alliance of Rhode Island to plan pop-up farmers markets in South Providence, where many suffer from food insecurity. 

“This prepared me for life after Brown by permitting me to put theory into practice and get hands-on experience doing substantial work for an organization that has an impact on the community. It revealed knowledge, cultures, and skills I should try to develop while in college to succeed after graduation,” he says.

Removing barriers to exploration

The Center for Career Exploration also aims to further increase access to experiential learning opportunities for students through financial support and alumni participation.  This will build upon the success of BrownConnect—the networking platform established in 2014 where students can connect with alumni and families working in their chosen industries, search for internships and research opportunities, and find funding to support their participation in those opportunities. Alumni, parents, and friends have donated an additional $13 million during the BrownTogether campaign extension to relieve students of summer earning expectations included in their financial aid packages and provide stipends needed to accept low- or no-pay internships and research opportunities.

Both Caroline Sassan ’24 and Ayla Kim ’25 have received funding that allowed them to spend time gaining professional experience. Sassan, who knew she wanted to work in climate and environmental advocacy, received funding to intern with MN350, a Minneapolis nonprofit committed to advancing environmental justice within the renewable energy transition.

“I was immersing myself in the technicalities of the local political landscape of the Twin Cities and getting to understand the relationships MN350 had developed with community partners,” she says. “I think this ability to acclimate to something new quickly will definitely be important in whatever I end up doing post-graduation.” 

Kim, who spent a summer and a winter session interning virtually with San Diego-based Rhymes with Reason, an educational start-up founded by Austin Martin ’17, praises both Brown’s alumni network and the stipends available to support this kind of professional development. 

“It’s part of Brown providing more bang for your buck,” she says. “Not only do they offer me financial aid, but that doesn’t preclude me from getting other benefits that further my studies or career interests. That’s been very empowering.”

Empowerment is the ultimate goal, and the Center for Career Exploration is harnessing the strengths of the entire Brown community—alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and community partners—to ensure each student can investigate the most rewarding professional pathways for themselves.