Sophomore Summit is an up and coming Westminster tradition hosted by the Career Center, Academic Advising, and more on and off campus partners that aims to assist sophomore students in establishing baseline skills that can help them before and after graduation. For students that may feel overwhelmed or uncertain about their next steps at Westminster, Sophomore Summit acts as a road map. By helping students curate professional skills, network with recently graduated alumni, and find opportunities for involvement, the goal is that sophomore students will feel more support through Westminster as they figure out what their future holds.
Trisha Jensen, director of the Career Center, spoke about how Sophomore Summit got its start at Westminster. The first Sophomore Summit was held in the Spring ’24 semester and was put on through a collaborative effort of the Career Center and Academic Advising, has now grown into a much larger event including campus programs like Student Engagement and Belonging and Alumni Relations. This year, Sophomore Summit has an additional off-campus sponsor through UFirst Credit Union, who is sponsoring a free lunch and Info Fair for the attendees of the event.
When asked about what inspired Sophomore Summit, Trisha spoke about creating additional programs to support all class standings at Westminster.
“When students become juniors and seniors, they get connected with their major departments, and they have connections and activities and things that are specific for them. Sophomores kind of get forgotten in the middle, so we really wanted to do something to help put some attention on those students, help them feel like we see them, we know what they may be struggling with, and also help to prepare them for the things that we want them to know are available for them during their junior and senior year.”
The organizers took recommendations from last year’s Sophomore Summit participants to change the structure of the event to better reflect what students want, highlighting the opportunities available through internships and involvement.
“A big piece of feedback from students last year was wanting a bigger element of choice, shorter sessions, and the ability to come and go, so we built that into the schedule. What we're really looking at is the fact that we know our audience is sophomores. It's about third semester. They know their way around campus, but what are the things that we think they should know about?”
Trisha encourages sophomore students who have not yet registered to register before Friday, February 7, but even if they don’t make the registration deadline, they are still welcome to
attend. Additionally, all students should be on the lookout for the Career Center’s upcoming
events; the Outdoor Industry Expo, Nursing and Public Health Fair, and the New Grad and Alumni Career Fair.
- Violet Czech ('26)
