Lawrence University Career Center Podcast (@lawrencecareercenter)

Chuck Erickson '02 graduated from Lawrence with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Bachelor of Music in Choral and General Music Education. A student job in admissions led to a life-long career of helping students achieve their college dreams. With more than 20 years of college admissions experience, Chuck shares tips for soon to be graduates who want to pursue a career in higher education and stresses the importance of on-campus employment while in college. He also explains the differences between working for someone else and working for yourself, and describes why Lawrence students have things to brag about!

Connect with Chuck at https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckericksonconsultant/

Marissa Lake graduated from Lawrence in 2022 with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance.  As classical vocalist, Marissa’s repertoire is too long to list, but suffice to say, she has performed around the world to great acclaim. 

She is currently in her second year studying at McGill University in Montreal where she will earn her Master of Music in Opera Performance in 2024.  She also worked in the Lawrence Career Center her entire time at Lawrence

In this episode, Marissa describes studying music at the graduate school level, discusses the importance of a portfolio career and explains why there is a place for you and your voice in the music industry!

Maggie Schmidt graduated with the Lawrence class of 2012.  She earned her B.A. in history and government and was a very engaged student at Lawrence – having studied abroad in Botswana and was involved in at least half a dozen student organizations.  Following graduation she earned a Master of Public Health degree and her J.D. from the University of New Hampshire.  In the intervening years, Maggie has done everything from a fellowship with Human Rights Campaign, to working for the US Department of Justice to teaching archery for the Girl Scouts.  Today, Maggie is the Supervising Attorney for the Children’s Law Center in Washington D.C. 

Basil Eastman-Kiesow graduated from Lawrence in 2021. He majored in Government with minors in Economics and Physics. As a student, he was involved with LUCC as both the Parliamentarian and Committee Chair, he worked on two research projects regarding national elections and immigration and completed an internship with a member of the New York City Council.

Basil shares great insight if you are considering law school and a legal career, including what 1L (the first year of Law School) is like, how Lawrence and Law School are different (and the same) and how to best prepare for both the LSAT and Law School.

Luther Abel ’22 earned his bachelor’s degree in English. Luther was a non-traditional student, attending Lawrence after six-year stint in the United States Navy. While at Lawrence, Luther completed internships with the National Journalism Center and National Review and was a frequent contributor to the Lawrentian – the school’s student newspaper. Writing from a conservative political point of view, he earned varying levels of scorn from his fellow students! He is a Buckley Fellow with National Review and will be attending Northwestern to earn an MS in Investigative Journalism.

In this eye-opening interview, Luther describes attending Lawrence as a non-traditional student and how serving in the Navy helped him be a better student. He also shares what it is like working at a national publication and gives his take on the current state of journalism and the industry’s future. In addition, Luther explains how he made it through Lawrence as a conservative and offers his suggestions for how current and future politically conservative students can navigate the sociopolitical complexities of Lawrence. Finally, he offers his advice on how to spend your time as a 20-something!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/luther-abel-6b954597/

https://www.nationalreview.com/author/luther-ray-abel/

McKenzie Fetters '19 was an English and Creative Writing major at Lawrence and is using her degree as a writer/editor and audiobook narrator!

Harsimran Kalsi is a member of the Lawrence class of 2020 with degrees in Biology and Biochemistry.  While a student, he completed multiple summer research projects and internships and was involved with several student organizations like including AMSA, Makerspace, GlobeMed, and Neurolawrence.

Hari is currently enrolled at the Medical College of Wisconsin working towards his M.D.  If being a medical student wasn’t enough, Hari is also a fellow and User Advisory Committee Member with the International Space Station National Laboratory and is the founder and CEO of Otto Sciences, a Bio-tech research company that works to accelerate scientific discovery, innovation, and commercialization.

In this episode, Hari shares his thoughts and experiences about Curing Diseases and Revolutionizing health care, starting a business, getting experience while in college, a new era in space (including a real-life Starfleet Academy!), the importance of mentors and how Lawrence helped him prepare for his career, and what it could have done better. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harsimran-kalsi-90928a195/

Jismy Raju is a member of the Lawrence class of 2011 with degrees in Spanish and Economics.  While a student, she was part of the first Posse on campus.  During her time at LU she was part of the fencing team and Marketing Director of the Lawrence International Club.  She is currently serving on the Lawrence University Alumni Association Board.

While at LU, Jismy interned with Nestle and Traveler's Insurance.  She would go on to spend six years at Traveler's in a variety of roles.   Jismy went on to earn her MBA at The Wharton School of Business. She has recently celebrated her first anniversary at LinkedIn as a Senior Customer Success Manager.  

As a first generation college student, Jismy is passionate about helping others on their career journeys.  In this podcast, she talks working in technology, case study interviews and earning a MBA.  She also shares her thoughts on dealing with rejection, looking for employers who share your values, what to do when confused about the future and the importance of talking with strangers!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jismy

Lily Atkinson '18 graduated from Lawrence with degrees in Geology and Chemistry, while also studying music.  After graduation, career opportunities took her around the world.  Today, she calls Chicago home where she works as a Veterinary Technician for the Royal Treatment Veterinary Center.  

Listen as Lily provides a great overview of the world of veterinary medicine, explains finding balance between science and creativity and discusses how Lawrence taught her skills that will last a lifetime!