by Elise Goitia '18

KnoxCorps has recently incorporated a series of professional development sessions in order to prepare its undergraduate and graduate students for the careers they intend to pursue after their KnoxCorps service concludes. These sessions aim to offer insight into the professional world.

KnoxCorps is a civic-engagement program that matches its students with a non-profit organization to provide a chance to give back to the Galesburg community as well as develop their future careers. It is open to both Knox graduates, or Fellows, and undergraduate students, or Associates.

"I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do [when I graduated]," said KnoxCorps Fellow Nicole Spencer '14. "KnoxCorps seemed like a really great opportunity to develop professionally. These sessions taught us a lot of necessary skills. Even if it's something you didn't study, you can learn about it."

KnoxCorps supervisor Karrie Heartlein, the College's director of government and community relations, reached out to numerous leading businesspeople in the Galesburg area. They have spoken with KnoxCorps fellows to introduce and explain crucial concepts such as networking, community health, and publicity and marketing. These developmental sessions are designed to guide Fellows along the path of becoming young professionals in a comfortable, open environment.

The people who have presented so far, such as Director of Wellness and Health Promotion Erin Olsen from the Knox County Health Department, Business Banking Officer Trent Cox from F&M Bank, and Director of Marketing and Public Relations Robin DeMott from Carl Sandburg College, have shared their experiences in the business world. They also have answered questions and offered to serve as future resources for the students.

The sessions are "designed specifically for KnoxCorps Fellows to help them in that transition from being a college student to being a young professional," said Fellow Marta Schneider '14. "They're there to give you a deeper view from someone who actually works in that industry."

"Each of these people developed a presentation where they basically gave us the necessary tools that we need to survive in the professional world," said Fellow Devin Compton '14. "I took away a lot of information that will help me craft my own future."

Compton's KnoxCorps fellowship is sponsored by the G.L Vitale Family Foundation, and he serves at the Galesburg Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. He found the presentation on networking especially helpful.

"A lot of our sessions revolve around things that we all may have to do as young professionals, but also things that we should know how to do in order to be successful," he added. "They also showed us how to open doors for ourselves rather than waiting for others to open them for us."