Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Nov. 5, 2015, edition 1 / Page 12
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The Big 4 Alumni Association and the Winston-Salem Urban League hosted a business attire clothes drive on Friday, Oct. 30 for seniors currently looking for employment. Photos by Tevin Sanson Eric Martin, president of the Big 4 Alumni Association helps Lance Shristler find a blazer during the clothes drive at the Urban League on Friday, Oct. 30. Big Four Alumni, Urban League unite for service BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE The Big Four Alumni Association recently joined forces with the Winston Salem Urban League to sponsor the organ izations' first annual Day of Service. During the event, alumni from Atkins, Carver, Anderson, and Paisley provided business attire for the seniors who partici pate in the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). SCSEP is the largest Federally-funded program specifically targeting adults seek ing employment and training assistance to lengthen self-sufficiency. According to SCSEP Director Patricia Sadler, they decided to join forces with the Big Four Alumni Association after presi dent Eric Martin approached her with the idea. "Eric Martin contacted me about get ting more involved with the community," said Sadler. "We decided a clothes drive would be a good idea because so many of our seniors are seeking employment." Sadler went on to say that many of the seniors don't have the proper attire to wear to job interviews which in some cases can be a determining factor in being hired or not. "We are grateful for everything the Big Four Alumni Association is doing for our seniors," she said. "A lot of our partici pants don't have the money to go out and buy new clothes for interviews. The fact that we had so many people willing to make donations is a big help." Lance Shristler said he saw a number of items during the clothes drive that caught his eye and said now he feels more confident about going to job interviews. "This was a great idea," he said. "I saw a lot of great items here today from shoes to blazers. They really had a wide variety of items to choose from." Although this is the first community event sponsored by the Big Four Alumni Association, Martin said this is only the beginning. "We wanted to make more of an impact in the community," he said. "This is the first of many events we will be hosting that will be geared toward uplifting the com munity. Day of Service is just the begin ning. A lot of people think all we do is have a dance," he continued. "As president I will make sure the Big Four Alumni Association leaves its mark on this com munity." Sadler stated the SCSEP is still accept ing donations of business attire. The sen iors are in dire need of coats and jackets as well. Donations can be dropped off at the Winston-Salem Urban League, 201 W. Fifth St. WSSU gives students a head start on careers BYTEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE The days of waiting until graduation to look for that dream job is a thing of the past, says Lamonica Sloan, director of Career Development Services at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU). To be competitive in the work force, students must start early. To give students a head start on their futures, WSSU held a career, grad uate school and internship expo. The event was designed to allow students of all classifications and majors time to have face-to-face dialogue with employers, college recruiters and even federal government and Army and Marine recruiters. "Regardless of where you might be in your aca demic career, the earlier you get started the more successful you are going to be," Sloan said. "If you are unsure about what you want to do after graduation, it's important to get out and talk to recruiters." A survey completed by CareerBuilder shows 51 percent of employed 2014 college graduates have jobs that don't require a college degree. Sloan is a firm believer that employers are looking to hire people who have a set of skills that allow them to be successful no matter what the industry or job. For example, the recruiter at the Sam's Club table was looking for man agers who are leaders, she said.adding that she has an engineering degree. She said the kind of degree stu dents have is not as impor tant as the leadership skills they have. "Now more than ever, employers are looking for that set of core skills that sets you apart," she contin ued. "Events like this helps our students understand, the sooner you get started, the sooner you build your network and get to know people and build relation ships. "When those relation ships are established, you can always follow up down the road." Combined, more than 60 businesses and colleges participated in the event on Oct. 22. A number of stu dents mentioned they believed the expo was a great event to allow stu dents to see what opportu nities they have. Some recruiters were seeking interns, who would work while in school. "I came here just to get an open review about what's out there," said Trequan Holman, a sopho more Mass Communications major from Durham. He stopped by The Chronicle's booth. Other students were looking for opportunities after they leave WSSU. "It's very important to check out your options after graduation," a student said. "You don't want to wait until the last minute. You want to get your feet wet and see what's out there." Chronicle staff con tributed to this report. Sloan PwMTolhua H_^_ 251 EAST 7TH STREET ? WINSTON-SALEM, NC With the new year come new challenges; let MudPies Downtown East handle your 2nd shift child care needs... lajia PRESCHOOL ' 3-5 YEARS S180/WEEK nwcdc k a 50i(()3^o?>-ofoft organization mudpiesNC.org Contact events@nwcdc.org 336.721.1215 i ?
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