Lazarus Center
FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT
2022–23 ANNUAL REPORT
1
Table of Contents
Deans’ Statements 1
Class of 2022 First-Desnaon Outcomes 4
Career Equity 6
Career Educaon 8
Advising 10
Health Professions 10
Pre-Business 12
Pre-Law 14
Internships 16
Fellowships 18
Recruing 20
Alum Engagement 22
Partnerships 24
Deans’ Statements
Career development and educaon at Smith fit who we
are—a selecve liberal arts college that centers women’s
experience and leadership. Smith students are inquisive,
acve and socially aware, and they’ve come here to learn
from cuing-edge faculty and expert sta both in and out
of the classroom, on and o campus.
The Lazarus Center for Career Development has reinvented
itself to become a champion for work-integrated learning
across campus and in close partnership with faculty, sta,
alums and employers. In this report, you will read about how
the center is breaking down barriers and expanding access
to compeve careers.
In a short me, we have gained recognion as a naonal
leader in career preparaon aligned with the liberal arts.
We were one of only four schools to earn a Career Services
Pursuit of Excellence Award from the Career Leadership
Collecve. We were invited to present on liberal arts career
educaon at the annual American Associaon of Colleges
and Universies conference, and we were named a top
Fulbright-producing school.
We have done this work in close collaboraon with you,
the Smith community, and we hope you will enjoy reading
about our work and thinking about how you can engage in
our new iniaves.
Alex Keller
INTERIM DEAN OF THE COLLEGE AND
VICE PRESIDENT FOR CAMPUS LIFE
32
Smith is commied to inclusive excellence in career educaon—integrang
liberal arts learning with work-learning experiences and skills development,
from day one through graduaon and beyond. A strategic priority for the
college, our vision focuses on: scaling career planning, expanding career
networks, and enhancing work-based learning and skills training.
We hope you enjoy learning about our new programs and iniaves aimed
at expanding opportunies for all Smithies. Some highlights:
• We implemented a highly respected “Career Launch”
curriculum focused on building skills and confidence in
social capital development.
• We added new skills training, such as the cuing-edge
Cybersecurity Consulng program from Deloie.
• We provided early engagement to 600+ students via the
ClionStrengths for Students skills and strengths assessment tool.
• We supported more students than ever before with Praxis funding
and we significantly increased our funding to support students
aending professional development conferences.
We have done this work in conjuncon with a mulstakeholder advisory
commiee, the Smith College Business Network and student consulng
teams. This is how we lead—for you and with you—and we look forward to
hearing your thoughts on our progress.
Faith McClellan
DEAN OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT
For years, students and faculty have pointed to the need for more
balanced career planning. Students give strong reviews of general
career advising at the Lazarus Center—93% of students say they would
recommend career advising to a friend—but oer mixed reviews of
industry-specific connecons in areas outside of recruing-driven fields.
To help students build engaged, purposeful careers across industries,
the Lazarus Center is pleased to launch career communies at Smith.
Career communies provide specialized coaching for specific fields
centering on relaonship building and career readiness—helping every
student successfully navigate their future. The model is widely recognized
as one of the most impacul ways to increase career sasfacon and
mobility outcomes.
With your support, we are building this model now and will launch a
robust sequence of industry-engaged programming and advising in the
fall. Please stay connected and let us know how you would like to engage
in this dynamic iniave.
Deborah Wijnhoven
ASSISTANT DEAN OF EMPLOYER PARTNERSHIPS
AND CAREER COMMUNITIES
54
Class of 2022
First-Destination Outcomes
OF SMITHIES LAND
A JOB OR FULLTIME
GRADUATE STUDY
WITHIN SIX MONTHS
OF GRADUATION.
97%
IS THEIR AVERAGE
STARTING SALARY*,
WITH TECH/FINANCE
COMPENSATION
REACHING $140,000+.
$54,571
*Above average among
elite liberal arts peers
TOP GRAD SCHOOLS
Boston University
Brown University
Columbia University
Dartmouth University
Duke University
Harvard University
Stanford University
University of Chicago
University of Massachuses Amherst
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania
Yale University
70% EMPLOYED
27% IN GRAD SCHOOL
3% OTHER
38.7% OF GRAD SCHOOL
BOUND SMITHIES
WENT ON TO
BEGIN PH.D. PROGRAMS
DIRECTLY AFTER
UNDERGRADUATE STUDY.
100+ GRADUATES
10+ GRADUATES
5+ GRADUATES
14 GRADUATES
RECENT GRADUATES BEGAN THEIR CAREERS IN 10 COUNTRIES AND 30 STATES
76
Career Equity
The Lazarus Center is commied to using data to inform
our decision making in support of career equity. We have
found, for example, that Smith students with underrepre-
sented minority idenes, such as internaonal students
and Pell-eligible students, generally engage with career
development advising and programming at rates higher
than the campus average.
Our equity analysis has also idenfied some important
areas for growth. For example, only 37% of first-generaon
students completed an advising appointment with our
oce this past year. This has informed our programming
iniaves, including some listed on the next page.
In addion to demographic equity concerns, another
priority is ensuring that we are serving Smith students
across dierent disciplines. Qualitave student feedback
demonstrates a strong need for enhanced industry-
focused networking support, which informed our upcom-
ing adopon of a career communies model.
CAREER COMMUNITIES
The Lazarus Center is currently building mulple
pathways, grouped by industry interest area, that will
introduce students to a variety of careers and ways
to gain experience.
They are:
• Arts, Media & Communicaons
• Business, Consulng, Finance & Entrepreneurship
• Data Science, Math & Technology
• Educaon, Nonprofit & Social Impact
• Government, Internaonal Aairs, Law & Policy
• Science & Health Professions
PROGRAMMING
Equity-focused programming is threaded throughout our events calendar.
Highlights include:
CAREER LAUNCH ACADEMY
Career advisers use this naonally recognized curriculum to help cohorts of students—
parcularly historically underrepresented students—build social capital and launch eecve
job and internship searches. Broadening the networks and resources accessible to first-
generaon and low-income students begins to level the playing field.
TRANSFORMING THE WORKPLACE
This panel of trans and nonbinary alums sharing experiences from within their fields is an
annual event co-sponsored by the Oce for Equity and Inclusion, the Lazarus Center for
Career Development and Alum Relaons.
VOICE AT THE TABLE
During this series of conversaons featuring alum and employer partners from a variety of
industries, students hear how companies are hoping to aract and retain diverse talent and
engage in an open dialogue about challenges and opportunies in the current climate.
WORKSHOPS FOR FIRSTGEN STUDENTS
In partnership with the Community for Low-Income & First-Gen Students (CLIFS) and
First Gen Out Loud, advisers lead small-group events so that students can workshop specific
career-related topics, like networking and building a LinkedIn profile.
FUNDING
To help reduce financial barriers,
we oer the following:
TESTPREP FUNDING
Students who want to take a DAT,
GMAT, GRE, LSAT or MCAT prep
course are eligible for reduced rates
or reimbursement.
UNIVERSAL CONFERENCE
FUNDING
In partnership with the Student
Government Associaon, we oer
students funding to aend career-
related conferences of their choice.
This year, we more than tripled
available funding, allowing us to make
conference aendance achievable
for a broader range of students.
98
Career Education
82%
OF GRADUATES REPORT
THAT THEIR FIRST
EMPLOYMENT IS PART
OF THEIR INTENDED
CAREER PATH.
In addion to 3,363
one-on-one appointments,
advisers led workshops,
coordinated alum and industry
panel conversaons, and hosted
drop-in advising sessions, oen in
partnership with campus partners
and student organizaons.
PEER ADVISING
Peer advisers are current students
trained to help fellow Smithies
improve their résumés and cover
leers, search for jobs and
internships, print business cards,
and borrow suits for interviews.
Peer advisers also co-lead career
events across campus.
This team of students logged
710 one-on-one meengs (nearly
one-third of the student popula-
on) during the academic year.
CLIFTONSTRENGTHS
This assessment, available to
all students, unlocks a personal-
ized report to beer understand
individual talents and how
to opmize them in and out
of the classroom. We oer
workshops with a career
adviser to debrief results.
NEW THIS YEAR!
TAILORED DROP-IN
ADVISING SESSIONS FOR:
• Ada Comstock Scholars
• Internaonal students
• Neurodiverse students
• Student athletes
97%
OF STUDENTS WHO
ENGAGED WITH THESE
TYPES OF PROGRAMS
SHARED THAT THEY
ADVANCED THEIR
CAREER EDUCATION.
Katie Doherty ’23
ECONOMICS MAJOR
The Lazarus Center has helped me immensely in my career
development. The oce is abundant with resources that I have
come to use regularly in my personal life but also as a peer adviser.
I have gained confidence in my ability to prepare proper job-seeking
materials and present myself as a competent and hardworking
person. I feel that I have been given great advice and was able
to develop a strong career plan. I’ve also had, through the oce,
incredible opportunies for networking and meeng industry
professionals and recruiters.
What’s next? Kae is starng her career as an analyst
at Strategic Wealth Partners in Chicago.
1110
Advising
Health Professions
This team is dedicated to students and recent alums who are exploring careers in the health professions. This year
we added an assistant director, which helped us provide 119 more appointments while reducing average wait mes
from 19.6 days to 9.8 days—35% beer than the industry standard.
ALUM PARTNERSHIP
Deborah Davis ’76, a member of our faculty Board of Health
Professions Advisers, taught 10 seminars in collaboraon with
faculty in neuroscience, engineering, biology, and exercise and
sport studies during five campus visits. She also gave a public
lecture about her research and met with about 100 students
over lunches and dinners and in one-on-one meengs.
“Her humor, alongside her experience in fighng through gender
injusce in her professional career, made every single conver-
saon with her so inspiring. It was very cool to learn about the
technologies that are being used on the front line of health care
and the opinions about med school and its admission [process]
from someone who is siing on the board of admissions.”
STUDENT FEEDBACK
Ama Boamah ’23
CHEMISTRY MAJOR, BIOLOGY MINOR
My first encounter with the Lazarus Center was a month into
my first year, when I spoke to Elly Mons about my goals to pursue
health educaon aer Smith. I scheduled a meeng every semester
to update Elly on my classes and my summer plans. She connected
me to resources that contributed to my specific area of focus.
The summer before my senior year, I started the applicaon process
for pharmacy school. Jess Pfeer worked one-on-one with me on my
essays. It was a long process, but I was glad to have both Elly and Jess
on my side throughout the process.
Aer applying to 10 pharmacy schools, I was able to land interviews
and oers from all 10 schools!
While most of the services I received from the Lazarus Center were
for my journey to pharmacy school, I also used the résumé and fellowship
services and landed a nominaon for the Goldwater Scholarship, was
a finalist for the Je Ubben Posse Fellowship and earned the American
Society of Pharmacognosy Summer Research Fellowship.
I’ll encourage students with any type of goal to start having mini-
conversaons about their dreams. You don’t need to know every
answer yet, just take it one day at a me.
What’s next? Ama is pursuing her doctor of pharmacy degree at UNC
Eshelman School of Pharmacy—the No. 1 pharmacy school in the country.
1312
Advising
Pre-Business
The business, consulng, entrepreneurship, and finance set of profes-
sions connues to be a key industry cluster for Smithies. We consistently
increase access to compeve experiences at top-er organizaons
and prepare students for business-oriented careers.
Regular opportunies include:
• Crack the Case workshops: Technical training for
consulng interviews
• Forté Foundaon professional development opportunies
for future women in business
• Networking, mentoring and mock-interview preparaon
with alums
• On-campus Bloomberg Terminal, managed by the Conway Center,
which connects students to real-me industry data.
• Panel discussions with MBA alums and execuves in finance
and consulng.
SELECT EMPLOYER PARTNERS
Lika Mikhelashvili ’23
QUANTITATIVE ECONOMICS AND
STATISTICAL AND DATA SCIENCES MAJORS
Lika leaned on the team at the Lazarus Center to help pave her
pathway toward a career in finance. Throughout her four years,
she took advantage of internship support, consistently met with
career advisers and parcipated regularly in recruitment events
for students. Internships at Rebellion Research—an arficial
intelligence financial adviser and hedge fund, and at Emerald
Advisors—a small wealth-management firm, set her up for success
as a summer analyst at American Express aer her junior year.
What’s next? This summer, Lika will be joining the American
Express team full me as a credit and fraud risk analyst.
1514
Advising
Pre-Law
Our expansion of pre-law programming this year included:
• Exploring Your Path to Law School event during
the First-Year Experience Program
• Industry panel with aorney alums in a range
of pracce areas and roles
• Advice panel featuring 2023 graduates accepted
to law school
More than 150 students subscribe to the new pre-law
newsleer, which features internal and external events of
interest, internships and scholarship opportunies, especially
for historically underrepresented students in the legal field.
TOP LAW SCHOOLS ACCEPTING
SMITH GRADUATES
American University Washington College of Law
City University of New York School of Law
Columbia Law School
Cornell Law School
George Washington University Law School
New York University School of Law
Northeastern University School of Law
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
University of Michigan Law School
Yale Law School
Nellie Ayala ’23
SPANISH MAJOR, GOVERNMENT MINOR
Over my years at Smith, I have ulized the career center
for pre-law advising and for fellowships advising. One piece
of advice that stood out to me was: If I feel an intuive
feeling, to follow it no maer what other people say.
All the advisers at the Lazarus Center are so kind and
genuinely invested in Smith students and have helped me
so much. A shout-out to Anna and Deb, Lazarus Center
advisers, for their support when I put together and moderat-
ed the alum law panel!
Being involved with the career center has helped me improve
my follow-up skills, my wring and enabled me to make solid
connecons via networking.
What’s next? Nellie is exploring Panama this summer,
and will then work as a paralegal in Los Angeles before
pursuing law school.
1716
Internships
84%
OF SMITH STUDENTS COMPLETE
AT LEAST ONE INTERNSHIP
BEFORE GRADUATION.
To compete in today’s world of work, students need internships and
experienal learning. These opportunies allow Smithies to apply
on-campus learning to real-world problems. They also pave the way
for vital connecons between students and employers, mentors
and industry contacts.
PRAXIS
Praxis funding oers Smith students up to $4,500 to parcipate in a
qualified unpaid summer or interterm internship.
This resource lets students engage in praccal work experiences
in industries that may or may not directly connect to their major.
PRAXIS IN PRACTICE
English major Sarah Waring ’24 loves to write. At Smith, she was
fascinated by her ficon wring course, but she wasn’t sure how this
passion would translate into a career. The Praxis program introduced
Sarah to a publishing internship that helped answer that queson.
“My six weeks at Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents taught me how
to use my academic skills in a new sphere: the workplace,” Sarah said.
“I had never had a ‘real’ job before, and this experience taught me how
to handle a full day of work. [My internship] armed that publishing
was a fascinang industry in which to work, and reassured me of my
interest in it.”
INTERNSHIP CREDIT
Internship Credit (IDP 117) oers academic credit for qualifying
internships, which expands access for internaonal students—support-
ing their curricular praccal training (CPT) requirements—and for other
students whose internships require that they receive credit.
CONNECTING TO
CONCENTRATIONS
In addion to majors and
minors, Smith’s 10 concentra-
ons oer interdisciplinary
ways to combine intellectual
and praccal experiences—
such as internships and service
learning—around an area of
interest. The concentraons
include community engage-
ment and social change,
collaborave innovaon,
global finance, journalism
and museums, among others.
1918
Fellowships
To beer support post-graduaon opportunies, the fellowships team joined the
Lazarus Center in 2023. In addion to connued success—like being a Fulbright Top-
Producing Instuon for the past two decades—this team put a new focus on early
career fellowships.
One example: In partnership with the Lewis Global Studies Center, the fellowships team
helped seven students—including two first-year students and two sophomores—earn
the Benjamin A. Gilman Internaonal Scholarship, which provides funding for study
abroad as well as access to a large network of mentors.
Number of Applications From
First-Years and Sophomores
2018
2023
8
34
Our focus on early career opportunies has helped us hit a
record-high number of fellowship applicaons this year.
Takondwa Priscilla
Semphere ’18
Takondwa is one of only 85 students selected for the 2023 cohort
of Knight-Hennessy Scholars, a muldisciplinary, mulcultural
graduate scholarship program. Standing out amid 3,733 eligible
applicaons, Takondwa will receive full funding to pursue graduate
studies at Stanford University while engaging in experiences that
prepare her to be a visionary and collaborave leader.
She is the first-ever Knight-Hennessy Scholar to represent Malawi,
her home country, and the first Smithie to earn the award.
“The fellowships team was so helpful as I thought about how to
put my best foot forward, giving me valuable advice that was really
instrumental once I interviewed,” said Takondwa, who connected
with the Lazarus Center from South Africa. “Most importantly, the
team was really arming about my accomplishments, helped me
tell the story of my experiences well and I stepped into the process
feeling confident and prepared.”
What’s next? Takondwa begins a master’s in learning design
and technology at the Stanford Graduate School of Educaon in
the fall. “Aerward, I hope to lean into my interest in story-driven
innovaons and pivot my career toward work at the intersecon of
educaon, technology and design,” she said.
20
Recruiting
The employer engagement team creates strong relaonships between students, alums and employers in a wide variety of industries,
which increases students’ access to compeve opportunies. They host skill-building workshops and direct recruitment events,
including industry site visits in metro areas and three annual career fairs.
SKILL-BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES
In partnership with alums and other industry experts, the
Lazarus Center organizes highly sought-aer skill-building
opportunies that include:
• Conflict Resoluon
• Cybersecurity Consulng
• Data Analycs
• Excel Fundamentals
• Wall Street Prep: Accounng and Financial Modeling
SMITHIES IN CYBER
In January 2023, we launched this pilot in partnership
with Deloie, the global leader in cybersecurity
consulng. More than 20 students parcipated in the
weeklong cybersecurity course, making them eligible
for cerficaon and connecng them to useful
contacts at Deloie, including several alums who
parcipated in the design and teaching of the course.
A SELECTION OF THE LAZARUS CENTER’S
TOP EMPLOYER PARTNERS
Atento Capital
Amazon
Bank of America
Boehringer Ingelheim
Broad Instute
Cizen Film
Cleveland Museum of Art
Collins Aerospace
TD Cowen
Dassault Systèmes
Deloie
DraKings
EdgeHill Partners
Google
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Massachuses General Hospital
Mastercard
Ms.
magazine
Microso
Nordson
Partnership for Public Service
Teach For America
U.S. Department of State
Wedbush Securies
INCLUSIVE RECRUITING SUMMIT
In partnership with Wellesley College, the inaugural Inclusive
Recruing Summit brought together a group of employers and
students who priorize diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
This half-day event featured panel discussions, informal and
formal networking, and growth opportunies for both students
and employers. Employer parcipants included Baker Hughes,
Compass Lexecon, Epic Systems, Lilejohn & Co., and MEDITECH.
107,816
JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS VETTED
BY LAZARUS CENTER STAFF
WERE POSTED TO HANDSHAKE
IN THE LAST YEAR.
FACILITATED
118
RECRUITMENT EVENTS
2322
Alum Engagement
We are substanally increasing alum parcipaon in our career programming,
including through networking, internships, recruitment and advising.
INDUSTRY LEADER NETWORKING LUNCHEON
A group of alum leaders from the Smith Business Network board
shared words of wisdom and career advice with students during
this event, co-sponsored by Alum Relaons. Aer a student-led
panel discussion, Smithies were able to network in small groups.
“The panelists gave excellent perspecves on how
they incorporated their Smith experiences into their
career paths. This was so helpful!”
- A STUDENT WHO RATED THE
NETWORKING LUNCHEON A 5/5 EVENT
NETWORKING IN ACTION
Smith oers two vital elements that help students succeed: access to a powerful career network and training in the
communicaon skills needed to confidently build professional connecons.
Many students, like Beata Knecht ’24, turn to the Lazarus
Center to acquire networking skills that will serve them
in college and beyond, and to aend career events where
they can put those new skills to use.
“I knew networking was very important, but I sll wasn’t
sure how to network,” said Beata, who is a double major
in economics and stascs and data sciences. “I don’t
really come from a background where I’ve done a lot of
networking, especially in finance and business.”
The Lazarus Center understands that a powerful network
isn’t enough; students must feel confident tapping into it
and have opportunies to meet with alums in their fields.
Beata aended a Women in Finance panel hosted by
the Lazarus Center, where she met Sara Buckley ’95,
managing director at Piper Sandler, who introduced her
to a career preparaon opportunity at the investment
banking company. “Having Sara as a mentor has been
so helpful, especially in trying to break into the finance
industry, which can be very male and very white and a lile
inmidang for a mulracial person like me,” Beata said.
The Lazarus Center is growing its engaged global network
of alums. In the last five years, more than 700 alums have
listed opportunies for Smith students and graduates
with the career center, and nearly 100 have parcipated
in panel discussions, mock interview sessions and other
career-readiness events. These resources reflect a strong
network of recruiters and leaders who want to hire Smithies.
“The network is really important,” Beata said. “There are a lot
of other ambious Smithies like me who want to break into
these compeve fields. Being able to tap into that network
and talk to other Smithies about their experiences can help
us stand out, break in and be successful.”
700+
ALUM EMPLOYER
PARTNERS
24
Partnerships
THE LAZARUS CENTER CAN’T DO IT ALONE.
WE ROUTINELY ENGAGE WITH STUDENTS, ALUMS,
EMPLOYERS AND OUR PEERS.
On campus, we work closely with Alum Relaons, the Oce for Equity and
Inclusion, the class deans oce and academic departments.
ADDITIONALLY, WE FREQUENTLY PARTNER WITH
OTHER LEARNING CENTERS AT SMITH, INCLUDING:
Jill Ker Conway Innovaon & Entrepreneurship Center, which prepares
Smith students to become dierent kinds of entrepreneurs, leaders and
innovators who engage with the world beyond campus.
Design Thinking Iniave, which fosters hands-on making that leads to
responsible innovaon and also teaches the Designing Your Path (IDP 132)
and Arculang Your Path (IDP 232) courses, oering students credit-bearing
opportunies to explore quesons of purpose and identy in their lives.
Jandon Center for Community Engagement, which fosters opportunies
for Smith students to engage acvely with the community and pracce
responsible cizenship.
Wurtele Center for Leadership, which equips all members of the Smith
community with the creavity, courage and collaborave capacity to lead
posive change at scales both large and small.
We are so grateful to be in
a community with strong
partners to support Smithies’
lifelong success.
