Volunteer Writing Opportunity (SARE)

 

The Illinois Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program at the University of Illinois is seeking a committed writing volunteer to tell a compelling story about a collaboration going on at Fowler Farm.  SARE, the Champaign-Urbana Schools foundation, teachers at the local public schools, and Hendrick House are working together to help local students learn about sustainable agriculture, genetics, water conservation, landscape architecture, and so much more. We’re looking for a storyteller who can convey the scope of this grant-funded project, from its humble origins to its grand plans. This story will be widely shared by all of the parties involved.  It will be distributed locally and on a state and national level to teachers, funders and those interested in agriculture education and local foods.

You can read more about this project here, and you can read more about SARE and Ann Swanson, Head of Hendrick House Farming Operations, halfway down this page.

If you are interested, please send a resume and a statement of interest to Mary Hosier, Project Manager at SARE (mhosier@illinois.edu) by 10/6/2018.

How to Conquer the Gies Business Career Fair as an English/CW Major (Updated for Fall 2018)

The Gies Business Career Fair is open to all majors, and many employers come hoping to meet majors from all over the university.

Bring your I-Card — it’s the only requirement for entry.

If you’re inclined to go, go! If you’re not whether “business” is for you, go. Talking to employers is a great way to find out more about what “business” careers are out there and how you might fit in. If you’re planning to to to the LAS & ACES Career Fair in October, going to the Gies fair is a great way to get familiar with the career fair format, so you go to the next one with even more confidence.

Prepare. Having a plan is the difference between a traumatizing career fair experience and a useful one. A little bit of preparation will show you that you are not only employable, but have choices about your employment. 

Continue reading “How to Conquer the Gies Business Career Fair as an English/CW Major (Updated for Fall 2018)”

The Business Career Fair for English/CW Majors: Management Training Programs

There are jobs for English/CW majors at campus career fairs. It helps to know what you’re looking for, though.

ONE option (there are others — we’ll get to those in future posts) that English/CW majors should know about: management development programs. Sometimes called “leadership development” or “rotational programs,” these opportunities involve a one- to two-year commitment to a mid-size to large company. During that time, the new employee rotates through several different departments, learning how different parts of the company operate, trying out different skill sets, and and getting the big picture that will eventually help him or her flourish in a particular role. Here’s a post about one English alumna who is in the midst of such a program at Cintas.

If all goes well, at the end of the program, the employee is hired into a permanent managerial role in whichever part of the company is the best fit.

Continue reading “The Business Career Fair for English/CW Majors: Management Training Programs”

Things to Do at Quad Day (Updated for 2018)

University of Illinois Quad Day.

Quad Day is here! And yes, you should go.

What should you do there?

  1. Find the college version of something you enjoyed in high school, and sign up.
  2. Find something that will allow you to use your skill with or love of words, and sign up.
  3. Find something that is entirely outside your experience, and sign up.
  4. Find something that seems interesting to you for no particular reason, and sign up.
  5. Take joy in the sheer variety on display: there truly is something for everyone on a huge campus like this.
  6. Register to vote! Lots of political groups will be out registering voters. It’s not a presidential election year BUT

— If you’ll be 18 in time for the 2018 election on Nov. 7, you can register to vote. Think of it like flossing your teeth, or checking the oil in your car, or writing thank-you emails. Even if you’re not excited about doing it, it’s an important part of civic maintenance, and it’s good to start the habit early.

— If you’ve live in Champaign-Urbana because you go to college here, you are eligible to register to vote here. Some people chose to register in their home district. You can only vote once in any given election, but if you have two different addresses, you can decide which of them you want to vote from. Read more about voter registration in Champaign County here.

This Congressional district (IL-13) currently has a Republican representative, and it is considered a “race to watch” in the November midterms. Whatever your political leaning, your vote can make a difference in this election.

— Your vote counts whether you participate or not. Both parties work from their assumptions about what college-students-in-general (and 18 – 25 year olds) will do. The only way to make your vote say what you mean is to cast it.