Saddle up for Success event will showcase career planning programs for U of C students
By Julianna Keskic, July 5 2024—
On July 10 from 12–2 p.m. the Centre for Career and Personal Development (CCPD) Life Design Hub will be hosting their Saddle Up for Success event. Students can grab a two dollar soup provided by the Campus Food Hub or a complimentary mocktail and meet with career advisors for quick tips and advice on career planning and job searching. This event will be drop-in and will run until the supplies last.
In an interview with the Gauntlet, Vicky Hirshe, the life design and work-integrated learning specialist with the CCPD, and Maryam Ilyas, the life design & leadership programs assistant co-op student, shared more about the upcoming event. The Saddle Up for Success event is a partnership between the Life Design Hub and the Food Hub to bring more awareness to the programs and services provided to students on campus.
“[The event is] a little bit of a mixture to help students learn more about the career supports that are available — as well as hear about the concept of life design — and then also learn about the Food Hub and everything that they’re doing there,” Hirshe said.
The Life Design Hub is a part of the CCPD and is intended to support students as they plan their future careers. “It can be very overwhelming for students to know what to do when they are hearing, ‘build your career, volunteer, get involved, have a good GPA,’” Hirshe said. “Life design seeks to bring all of these aspects together and provide students with tools around time management and goal setting to think about what you want holistically.”
Hirshe highlighted some of the areas of concern that the Life Design Hub strives to clarify for students. “‘How do your hobbies fit in with your career goals, fit in with your academic goals, and how should you structure your degree in order to achieve the goals that you want to achieve.’ These are all topics that the Life Design Hub seeks to help students better understand.”
The Food Hub is located in a new space in Crow’s Nest Hall. The Food Hub provides programming to students about food security on campus. “The Food Hub is a new space that’s opened up in Crow’s Nest Hall where the Starbucks used to be. It has opened up to help support the ongoing initiative of increasing food security for UCalgary students who might be finding it challenging to get enough to eat,” Hirshe said.
Ilyas added that the Ladle Up program, which provides two dollar soups to students, is looking for volunteers to help. “Ladle Up is running all summer from 12–2 p.m. on Wednesdays and [is] currently accepting volunteers to make and serve soup. So if somebody is interested in cooking or serving, they’re more than welcome to join the Food Hub.” Ilyas also highlighted the weekly Fresh Routes Market that provides access to fresh and affordable fruits and vegetables every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Hirshe explained that the Life Design Hub and the Food Hub will continue to have events in the future for students to attend.
“We offer a lot of things like this on an ongoing basis where students can drop-in and access career and life planning supports — while also doing something fun or getting a free snack.”
For more information about the Saddle Up for Success event visit the CCPD Events website. To learn more about the Fresh Routes Mobile Market visit their website.