By Izabelle Dessi
Purpose @ Peace helped open students’ eyes to all the opportunities and activities William Peace University has to offer.
The annual engagement fair held Sept. 14 on Main Lawn drew many students out to explore majors, internships, part-time jobs, and student organizations. For those that showed up, there were many tables filled with opportunities and information on a vast amount of topics, providing insight into opportunities on-campus, in the Raleigh area, and beyond our country.
The event was put on by a collaboration between the offices of student involvement and academic and career advising.
“It’s a great opportunity to connect with peers and community members but also to find a place for you at Peace,” said Ashley Borders, assistant director of student involvement. “Even if you think that you’ve already found that, it’s definitely a good way to just kind of see what else is out there, and kind of find maybe your next path.”
Kathy Corley, a representative from International Studies, was at the event promoting the places students are able to travel to through the school, including an upcoming trip to Italy, Hungary, and Slovenia. While also being travel restricted by the pandemic, this is
something that allows students to experience a new country and travel again while also earning college credit.
“This is a great way to step out of your comfort zone under the you know, the umbrella of Peace, and have everything taken care of for you, but still be able to experience things you’ve never experienced before,” Corley said.
Another important table at the event was financial aid, a department familiar to a majority of students. They were focused on letting students know about Federal Work Studies that are available. When students fill out their FAFSA, they can be granted eligibility to apply for a Federal Work-Study through the school.
Financial aid at the event helped inform students of job opportunities on campus while not having to travel too far.
“They [students] can learn that there’s different jobs available on campus and throughout the community that can not only help them just find work and income but it also helps enhance their time here and helps to build connections,” said Marissa Jones, a senior financial aid counselor, and federal work studies supervisor.
This event did not just focus on organizations located through the school. Heartland Hospice Care was there to let students know about the hospice volunteer program they have available.
Students would help provide care and companionship during a short time for patients who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. This gives students an opportunity to get experience and volunteer hours while being a friendly face to the patients.
This event helped open students’ eyes to something they did not even know Peace offered or might be interested in for the new school year. The Barone Meatball Food Truck was also a hit that allowed participants to grab a bite to eat.
“I think that it’s had an impact of helping students really kind of see like what they’re interested in without committing to anything quite yet, and giving them a taste of different options that they might not have known anything about just because it wasn’t something that they’ve come across before,” said Borders.
Purpose @ Peace was first held in 2018 but was not held last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. The event has received an award from the North Carolina Career Development Association.