Imagine graduating college and heading out into an industry you have never experienced first-hand before. Maybe you’ve been told what to do and possess the skills needed, but you’ve never been immersed in the environment. You might not be comfortable right away and you might not know if you’re going to be good at your new job. How do you know you’ll even like it?
Thankfully, this is a scenario we don’t have to worry about at Lasell College. In many ways, we are given the opportunities to experience the real-world and get hands-on practice at what we want- or think we want- to do. By exposing ourselves to what post-grad life will look like, we can decide whether or not we like certain things in order to figure out what we want to do with our careers, and we can get an upper-hand by gaining skills in order to land a job straight out of school.
This is done through “Connected Learning,” Lasell’s philosophy for engaging with the community and integrating courses with real-life experiences. Not only are students building their resumes with Connected Learning experiences, but they’re also making a difference in the city around them; win-win.
“With the connections of my hospitality professors I have been able to have behind-the-scenes experiences in hotels and event planning venues, which allowed me to analyze the industry and understand all that it entails before dedicating my entire life to it,” said senior Margaret Stracuzzi. She also participates in several volunteer activities for Lasell students, like an annual Ninos de Veracruz leaf-raking fundraiser.
Tshara Payne, a fashion design major, recalls when her design class made outfits for children with cancer to donate.
“We wrote ‘fairy godmother’ letters to the little girls and I felt like with our skills we had the power to help them,” Payne said.
Though Lasell is a small school, its reputation has continued to grow through these acts of philanthropy and the professionalism students possess. The Connected Learning Philosophy can be seen within coursework, as described here, and through extra-curriculars and the way students are encouraged to spend their free time. Most importantly, the Philosophy will benefit those students who take full of advantage of all the opportunities and understand the impact it can make on their future careers.
Photo from Lasell College Website