ETSU student organization Tradition Keepers hosted Mentorship Night on Thursday, Sept. 30 in the D.P. Culp Student Center.
President Rebecca Eubanks, a senior who has been on the Tradition Keepers council since sophomore year, orchestrated the event to fill a gap she thinks many students have in their post-undergraduate experience.
“I wanted to create an event that was beyond getting you to graduation, because I feel like a lot of the past events that I have attended, it’s kind of like you get a job and then ‘good luck,’” Eubanks said. “What we’re trying to incorporate is a more holistic experience, and you get those steps whether you’re a freshman or a sophomore looking to build up that resume, a junior getting your internship, a senior getting that job.”
The event began with three featured speakers, including Calvin Purvis, the assistant director of University Career Services.
Purvis graduated from ETSU in ’88 and landed his first huge job, a position in Washington, D.C., only through an intentional check-in after an interview that had promised a follow-up call. His phone call triggered a return call from the Vice President of Human Resources who offered him a job that launched his career. Purvis’ personal experience with the power of using ETSU as a launchpad for boldness has influenced his emphasis on the power of students being paired with mentor to help light the spark of success.
Purvis was followed by Melinda LaPrade, Director of Career Services for College of Business and Technology, and Yahrasiel Colbert, an ETSU Alumni representative. Students were encouraged to allow themselves to be invested in by alumni while intentionally investing in their own goals, and then they had the opportunity to update their headshot.
Students who were unable to attend the event but would like to attain mentorship are encouraged to join Tradition Keepers, a gateway for contact with ETSU Career Services. Follow the student organization on Instagram (@etsutraditionkeepers) and begin your journey of boldness.
“You have to go and kind of just make your own story, and that is definitely what I have done, especially with Tradition Keepers; just meeting new students and meeting faculty members and creating this vision for a better campus then when I came. I really want to leave my mark on wherever I go,” Eubanks commented.
