Annual Report 2020–2021

Highlights

During the fifth year of the Wellesley Career Education model, students continued to engaged with our office at a high level, taking opportunity of the growing number of opportunities in Handshake, mentorship through The Wellesley Hive, and advising offerings.

Appointments

in-person and virtual appointments

2019-2020

5,226

2020-2021

6,021

Jobs & Internships

Handshake postings

2019-2020

55,823

2020-2021

68,592

Digital Engagement

95

of students used Handshake, applied to opportunities, and/or had a virtual appointment

Alumnae Mentorship

5,464

Alumnae mentors in The Wellesley Hive

Inclusive Excellence

Inclusive excellence is a top priority at Wellesley College. The career education model takes into account the diversity in background, perspective, and career goals of all Wellesley students. We’ve been pleased to see engagement increase across class levels, disciplines, and distinct populations. The chart below demonstrates the appointments across disctinct populations of students in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021.

Overall 2.8 Out of 5

of all students had appointments with Career Education in 2020-2021

64%

Humanities

53%

Science

60%

Social Sciences

52%

Fine & Performing Arts

33%

Davis Scholars

45%

First Generation

63%

International Students

56%

Asian/Asian-American

53%

Black/African-American

47%

Latinx

54%

Two or More Races

55%

White/Caucasian

I’m very interested in how public health and law are ubiquitous and that they have the power to change the world

Nia Goodridge ʼ22

2021–22 Ministrare Fellow

Industry and Field Interests

Students and alumnae sign up for industry newsletters, and Career Education advisors stay in touch with them regularly to share jobs, internships, events, and deadlines connected to their fields of interest. These industry clusters connect students, alumnae, employers, and faculty who have the common goal of supporting Wellesley women in their pursuit of career success and satisfaction.

Total Number of Students & Alumnae in Each Career Grouping

1,435

Education, Nonprofit, & Social Impact

Technology, Engineering, Science, & Public Health

2,028

Technology, Engineering, Physical Science, & Public Health

1,102

Arts & Media

1,101

Business, Consulting, Finance, Entrepreneurship

1,189

Government, Law, International Affairs, & Public Policy

842

Health Professions

A Pandemic-Influenced Year

Career Education continued to meet the challenges of the pandemic throughout the 2020-2021 academic year. We continued two popular support programs launched in Spring 2020 to generate opportunity and connection for students and alumnae: Hive Internship Projects & the Senior Support Network.

Senior Support Network

232

members of the class of 2021 were matched with alumnae and advisors in their industry of interest

Virtual Career Fairs & Law School Week in September 2020

In response to the changing recruiting landscape, Career Education launched virtual Recruiting Weeks for Fall 2020, with the first three focused on Consulting, Finance, and STEM. Each Recruiting Week consisted of 11–15 of employer information sessions, held over Zoom and recorded for asychronous viewing, along with small-group coffee chats with every employer for direct interaction. Also offered was a virtual Law School Week in October 2020, with over 10 top law schools joining Wellesley students for panels and information sessions.

I’m interested in pursuing a Ph.D. not just because I want to keep learning, but also because I think it’d be really cool to have Latina physicists...they definitely exist, but [there are] not as many as there should be.

Lizette Ortega ’22

Hive Internship Projects

Hive Internship Projects were launched in May 2020 to support students without summer experiential learning opportunities as a result of the pandemic. These short-term, virtual experiences were designed by alumnae and parent mentors by unbundling long-term internships and separating out individual projects that could be completed remotely. Students benefited from working on a real-world project for an alumna or parent. Due to the program’s success, these projects were relaunched for Wintersession 2021 and Summer 2021.

294

students were hired for Hive Internship Projects during Wintersession 2021 & Summer 2021, combined

Wellesley-Funded Internships

Internships help students connect theory to practice, confirm a professional interest, point them in a new direction, or open a surprising new door. Over 25% of all students participate in a Wellesley-funded internship through Career Education during their four years. Thank you to our generous donors who have made these experiences possible.

Funded Opportunities

152

Students were awardeded internship stipends administered through Career Education (figure includes English Dept/Writing Program, German Dept, Italian Dept, Spanish Dept, Psychology Dept, and Davis Museum internships)

Total Applicants

460

Applicants for Wellesley-funded internships through Career Education (Signature Internships and Grants)

Awarding Credit

274

students received .5 non-academic credit for their summer internship experience

99

Class of 2022

126

Class of 2023

49

Class of 2024

Fellowships

Fellowships and scholarships can fund graduate or professional study, purposeful travel, professional placements, self-designed projects, and so much more. They can help students and alumnae build experience and qualifications, explore a passion, and clarify a path forward.