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
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