Student Employment Appreciation Week recognizes Clark’s student workers

Student workers play a critical role in Clark University’s campus operations, from staffing the library to hosting tours and much more. On-campus employment is also a great way for Clarkies to prepare for their career goals and gain real-world experience while still in college.

Beginning April 12, Clark will recognize the hard work, energy, and dedication that our student workers bring to their jobs during Student Employment Appreciation Week.

“Working on campus is an important part of a student’s career journey. Regardless of their job — whether they are a proctor in a building, a Help Desk technician, or a social media assistant — they are learning valuable, career-building skills such as time management, professionalism, and communication,” says Julie Bolduc, director of career operations and on-campus student employment at Clark’s Career Connections Center. “Hopefully they are also learning about their motivations and preferences, including what type of work environment is important to them.”

Josh Podolsky ’21, a psychology and political science double major, is pursuing his interest in sports journalism through an on-campus internship with Clark Athletics this semester — an opportunity he says has helped shape his career goals. Podolsky did some sports reporting for his local newspaper in high school and began working for Clark Athletics his junior year, doing score keeping and conducting archival research among other jobs.

“I realized that I could get paid for doing the things I love the most,” he recalls. “That was eye-opening to me.”

This winter, Podolsky’s on-campus job experience led to a for-credit athletic communication internship at Clark that allows him to work with Kyle Prudhomme, director of athletic communications, to promote Clark Athletics, including writing biweekly Cougar Spotlights. The series profiles student-athletes, highlighting both their athletic careers and their personal and academic pursuits.

“I’ve loved working on this journalism series. It’s been a way for me to prove myself not just as a sports analyst, but as a writer in general,” Podolsky says. “When I apply for jobs, I have something tangible to show.”

As an admissions ambassador for the past two years, Podolsky does everything from helping host information session panels to taking phone calls and leading campus tours. After he earns his master’s degree in communication through Clark’s Accelerated Degree Program, Podolsky may look for a job as a sports information director — an option he says he would not have explored had it not been for his experience working in Athletics.

For Zoe Wright ’21, working on campus helped her transition from her home state of South Carolina to college life at Clark.

When she arrived as a first-year student, Wright was already on the lookout for a job and found a good fit within the University’s Office of Marketing and Communications, where she has spent the last four years writing articles and press releases as a media relations assistant.

“My experience within MarComm has been one of the best aspects of my undergraduate career,” she says. “My immediate bosses have provided so much guidance and support for me, both in work and in life. My first year away from home was tough, but the structure and support that I received through my job made that transition so much easier.”

Wright came to Clark without knowing what she wanted to study or a career path that interested her. She majors in sociology and history, but working in media relations has motivated her to pursue a career in communications. Like Podolsky, she will enter Clark’s Accelerated Degree Program in communication after graduation and hopes to gain more experience in public relations this summer.

“The four years in MarComm have left me feeling confident that I can succeed in a public relations role,” she says.

Martina Villanueva ’23, a studio art major and entrepreneurship minor, says her job as social media marketer for the Clark Collective has helped her stay connected to campus while studying remotely from California during the pandemic.

Villanueva, who also owns a small jewelry and sewn goods business — Magpie’s Collect — began the role a year ago after taking the course Creating a Culture of Innovation and Entrepreneurship with Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program Manager Teresa Quinn. Through her job, Villanueva creates and posts content to the Collective’s social media accounts — including Instagram — to promote student-run ventures and events. Recently, she’s highlighted the Collective’s spring pop-up series that hosts student-run businesses in Red Square every Wednesday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., as well as programming like the Ureka Challenge.

“Through this role, I’ve also found I really love working with photography and aesthetics. The things I’ve learned through marketing and the Clark Collective are very applicable to what I do with my own small business,” she says, adding, “Even though I’m fully remote, I feel like I’m part of the Clark Collective culture and the community.”

This week, the Career Connections Center will highlight the achievements of Clark’s student employees, including student worker spotlights and employer spotlights, on the ClarkCONNECT Instagram account.

Through the Career Connections Center, you can find a job or internship, connect with employers and alumni career professionals, work on your resume, practice your interview skills, obtain advice, research careers, and much more. For more information on the federal work study program and student employment, visit the Student Employment website. #clarkconnectsyou