After a very busy second semester, I was ready to enjoy a relaxing break in sleepy Belchertown, MA. Just recently I cleaned out any messages pertaining to fall semester from my email inbox and cleaned out my backpack. Until the New Year, I, and I believe most of my classmates, will be spending a majority of their time off relaxing with friends and family. With this being said, Holy Cross students have a very generous break, meaning many choose to partake in something academic before classes resume.
A popular activity that I and many other sophomores and juniors take part in is the Alumni Job Shadow Program sponsored by the Center for Career Development. This program pairs you with a Holy Cross alumnus in a specified field of interest. For example, I curated a short list of alumni that I would like to shadow in the field of law and I was recently matched with a woman who is the Presiding Justice over the Trial Court of the Commonwealth. You contact the alumnus, set up a date and spend a full day witnessing what it is like to be in that field for a brief time. I am very excited to meet my day host in early January.
Besides the Job Shadow Program, many students will be reaching out to professionals they know in their area for internships or just to ask career related questions. Sophomore year is a strange time, for it is often times a bit too early to have decided precisely what field to which one would like to belong. However, unlike freshman year, the winter break seems to long to simply relax for the entire month. Therefore, it is suggested to do something career related no matter how “unofficial” since the semester is so busy that is renders career searching nearly impossible. Holy Cross gives you a long break so use it both to recharge and hone in on your career aspirations!
