Nina is a sophomore Diplomacy & World Affairs and Theater double major who is passionate about international relations and activism through performance. She also works at the Hameetman Career Center as a Career Peer Adviser.
A little bit about me: outside of the classroom, I have served as an Academics Liaison for the student government’s Diversity and Equity Board, and I was recently been elected by the entire student body as President of Associated Students of Occidental College (ASOC). I am part of Oxy’s Mock Trial team and perhaps most excitingly, I also work at the Hameetman Career Center as a Career Peer Advisor (CPA).
The HCC is where Oxy students plan their career development, and I have been working here for two years. Right off the bat as a first-year, Oxy encouraged me to get involved with the Career Center. I attended workshops as part of HCC’s Work-Study Training Program, which prepared me to apply for jobs on campus. From these workshops in my first semester of college, I learned so much from the professional staff at the HCC that I knew I wanted to work there, share my knowledge with others, and also be surrounded by these wonderful, incredibly knowledgable and supportive people.
As a CPA, I have received specific training to guide my peer-to-peer role in helping other Oxy students with their resumes, cover letters, and the use of Oxy’s Handshake platform (similar to LinkedIn but specific to an Oxy-specific network). Among other things, I truly enjoy working with Oxy students one-on-one because each student, and therefore each advising session, is unique. It is a privilege to be able to assist both students who are far into their career education and only need help with polishing their resume, as well as those who have just begun their career education journey.
One of the appointments I remember most fondly was with a student who didn’t have a resume and had never visited the HCC before. The student seemed nervous and anxious and the first thing I did was to reassure them that’s never too late to begin their career development. I really enjoyed guiding them through what the HCC does, explaining the resume-writing process in depth, and assisting them further with resume writing in a follow-up session. It is always rewarding to see a student more relieved and cheerful after an advising session than when they first walked in. People are often worried about their resume or cover letter not being “good enough” or, like in this instance, worried about not having one.
Getting the chance to provide career support to my peers allows me to meet amazing people I have not crossed paths with before and get to know other wonderful students even further, including my fellow CPAs! Therefore, do not hesitate to schedule a session with us at the HCC when you get to Oxy - my fellow peer advisors and I are looking forward to working with you, whether you have a resume prepped or not!