Connecting to Career Paths 

A collaboration between the Piper Center for Vocation and Career and the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, the Connections Program has become a signature way for St. Olaf students to explore career paths.

Last October a group of 16 St. Olaf College students touched ground in Denver, Colorado, excited to explore the city and the career field of environmental sustainability. Their next few days were packed full of connections — with alumni, career center staff, and each other. The trip even included time to connect with St. Olaf President Susan Rundell Singer.

This program was awesome. Not only did I have a wonderful time getting to know the alumni community in Denver, but I created real connections with the individuals participating,” says Hannah Richey ’24.

A collaboration between the Piper Center for Vocation and Career and the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, the Connections Program has become a signature way for St. Olaf students to explore career paths.

Rotating through nine cities, each trip takes place over either the spring, fall, or J-term break, focusing on two to three career fields that that city is well known for. Each trip provides 15-25 students the opportunity to explore, engage, and cultivate meaningful connections.

The Denver Connections program is unique in that it focuses on only one field: environmental sustainability. The participating students ranged from sophomores to seniors, and their majors ranged from environmental studies to math to music and political science.

The program is also an opportunity for students to gain confidence, networking skills, and envision themselves as graduates — but also to know it’s okay to not have it all figured out.

Richey, who is majoring in environmental studies and math, is currently pursuing a career in environmental consulting.

This sentiment was echoed by all the students who went on the trip, and something that the panelists encouraged by sharing their own non-linear experiences.

Orrego says that the people she got to talk to, and the places she was in, helped her realize that she doesn’t need to have her entire career figured out right now.

Beth Jensen ’02, who is the director of climate and nature impact at Textile Exchange, was one of several alumni that students on the program had the opportunity to meet.

Lincoln Bramwell, the chief historian at the U.S. Forest Service and the parent of a current St. Olaf student, also participated in the Connections Program. He enjoyed sharing about the path that led him to his current role.

Both Jensen and Lincoln were impressed with the quality of questions that the students asked. “As a parent,” Bramwell says, “it was really refreshing to see eager, bright students from the school where I just sent my child.”

Another key aspect of the Connections Program, says Jacobi, is giving students the opportunity to envision themselves in the shoes of young alumni.

During the Denver Connections trip at the Alliance Coalition for Action, the students were split into groups and given a real-life problem to solve from the companies where the alumni on hand work. They all pointed to it as one of the most enriching elements of the program.

“It gave me a boost of confidence because it demonstrated that I had the tools to come up with thoughtful contributions to real world problems people are trying to solve in the environmental field,” says Richey.

Serenity Lilly ’26 agrees, adding that the exercise “allowed us to think about how we might fit into those positions, and to apply what we’ve been learning in class to real-world problems.”

The student participants also got to see firsthand just how well their St. Olaf education will translate to the working world upon graduation.

“A liberal arts degree is just so useful and relevant to the nimbleness that is required by today’s business environment — particularly in the nebulous field of sustainability,” says Jensen.

To underscore the interconnectedness of the liberal arts, the St. Olaf students studying careers in environmental sustainability were in Denver at the same time as the St. Olaf Orchestra traveled to the city as part of its national tour and St. Olaf President Susan Rundell Singer visited to deepen connections with students and alumni. She embraced the opportunity to offer her own mentorship as well.

“She was sitting down at all the different tables, and I could overhear her giving career insights and tips from her experience,” Jacobi says. “It was really amazing to see her interacting so closely with the students.”



Connecting to Career Paths

The Connections Program at St. Olaf College collaborates with the Piper Center for Vocation and Career and the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations to help students explore career paths. A recent trip to Denver focused on environmental sustainability, allowing students to connect with alumni and gain insights into various roles in the field. The program emphasizes networking, confidence building, and the relevance of liberal arts education in sustainability.