Career & WBL in the Classroom | Career Center & WBL Faculty & Staff Partnerships

Benefits of Career Services for Faculty

Integrate hands-on, work-related learning in academic instruction
Prepare students to meet in-demand needs of labor market
Grow the number of students who complete a certificate/degree, obtain sustainable employment with a livable wage, and/or transfer
Promote faculty interaction with industry
Support students in defining career goals, develop their motivation to learn, and enhance retention and academic success

By offering or encouraging WBL, faculty support students in defining career goals, develop their motivation to learn, and enhance retention and academic success. Students participate in Work-Based Learning Activities in order to discover potential career opportunities that align with their interests, skills, and values. Students ensure they are moving along the right career path by interacting with professionals to get first-hand knowledge of companies, workplace sites, employment expectations, and preparation requirements! Below are some examples of the activities and events that WBL organizes:

Career Field Trips
Informational Interviews
Job Shadowing
Mentoring
Guest Speaker / Industry Panels
Research Project
Student-Run Enterprises

Interested in offering career & WBL activities to your students inside or outside your classroom? Fill out the presentation request form or email the Career Services Team (mesacareer@sdccd.edu) or the Work-Based Learning Coordinators below to connect you with employers and support in coordinating WBL activities for your department/area:

Katlin Choi (kchoi@sdccd.edu) - Arts & Languages, Humanities, Math & Natural Sciences, Exercise Science, Dance, Health Education & Athletics, Social/Behavioral Sciences & Multicultural Studies, DEBER, Honors, and STEM Center
Shawn Fawcett (sfawcett@sdccd.edu) – Business & Technology, Health Sciences & Public Service, Student Development

Classroom Presentations

If you are a faculty or staff member and would like to request a presentation from Career Services, please fill out our presentation request form. We ask that you complete this form three weeks prior to your event.

For questions connect with the Career Center with your name and CSID # by phone (619-388-2777), email at mesacareer@sdccd.edu, or by visiting us on the 3rd floor of the Student Services building (I4-306).

Mesa Career Services Champions

Career Services Champions is a monthly recognition program re-starting in February 2024. Champions are faculty, staff, administrators, or other partners who lead and foster work-based learning and/or career readiness for students. Interested in nominating a colleague or partner? Please reach out to Alex Berry (aberry@sdccd.edu) and Olivia Picolla (opicolla@sdccd.edu).

Congratulations to our Career Services Champions:

February 2024:
- Uriel Ornelas - Professor & Program Lead - French Department
- Jordan Agricula - Administrative Technician - Veterans & Records Department
April 2024:
- Alondra Gomez – Adjunct Counselor – CalWORKS
- Thuan Le, Denise Serrano, Seeana Therese Castro – STAR TRIO Team

Become a MIP Campus Mentor

The Mesa Impactship Program (MIP) supports students with exploring careers, developing professional skills, and compensating hands-on industry experiences through internships, volunteering, or Directed Clinical Practice (DCP). The MIP team is seeking Mesa College and SDCCD employees (faculty/staff/admin) to serve as MIP Mentors to student interns in your department or program.

MIP Mentors Support Students By:

Identifying valuable training opportunities to develop student professional skills
Providing ongoing support & work direction
Nurturing student career exploration
Participating in evaluation of student work performance, project completion & professional skills

Learn more about how to become a MIP Campus Mentor!

Work-Based Learning Faculty Liaisons

Mesa College Work-Based Learning (WBL) is launching our next iteration of WBL at Mesa College with the hiring of Faculty Liaisons within seven instructional schools. The WBL team is thrilled to continue its work of supporting, implementing, and incorporating WBL. This work will support Mesa 2030, specifically including our goals of increasing Pathways & Partnerships in support of equity and excellence.

Shawn Fawcett - Work-Based Learning Coordinator (sfawcett@sdccd.edu) for the Business & Technology, Health Sciences & Public Service, Student Development
Katlin Choi - Work-Based Learning Coordinator (kchoi@sdccd.edu) for the Arts & Languages, Humanities, Math & Natural Sciences, Exercise Science, Dance, Health Education & Athletics, Social/Behavioral Sciences & Multicultural Studies, DEBER, Honors, and STEM Center
Danica Moore - (dmoore@sdccd.edu) for the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Wendy Smith - (wsmith@sdccd.edu) for the School of Humanities
Todd Curran - (tcurran@sdccd.edu) for the School of Exercise Science, Health Education, Dance, and Athletics
Kathie Taylor - (ktaylor@sdccd.edu) for the School of Business and Technology
Holly Jagielinski - (hjagielinski@sdccd.edu) for the School of Health Sciences and Public Service