The U Career Success Center has been developed into an amazing resource for University of Utah students. Its goals include the motto “No Student Left Behind” and commitment to community partners. Giovanna Percontino uses her past experiences to fulfill her role as a career coach for the Department of Communication at the U Career Success Center.
“I was a youth counselor in New Jersey, the Department of Workforce Development, and it was a very vulnerable population. They were reentry from incarceration, parenting youth, and students aged 16 to 24 that needed their GEDs.” Percontino continues describing her role in this setting by saying, “We would provide workshops, we would help them with their resumes and cover letters. We would help them in the job search process. And it was really rewarding work. I really enjoyed it.”
Percontino found fulfillment in this work, saying, “Staying with this age group of students really means a lot to me because you’re the future of the workforce. You’re the next folks that are going to be getting into those roles, getting into the job force, helping the economy grow. Yeah, that’s why I love it a lot.”
Percontino highlights the difference in the populations between her past job and current job by saying, “College students more often have support of larger communities and family groups and support groups. So that’s kind of the biggest difference.” Percontino expanded by saying, “But to be quite honest, there are non-traditional students as well, and some students as well who kind of go the college route alone. Looking for scholarships, looking for support, and that’s what’s so great about U Career Success. We’re another group of caring folks that are in their corner to help them in the process, help them feel more confident in what they do and it’s good that they know we’re here as a resource for them. That it’s like an awesome community.”
When asked about the U Career Success Center’s motto of “No Student Left Behind” Percontino says, “Yeah, I totally believe in that. I myself also think that students need to find their own personal ‘why.’ And along with that, that’s everybody. We all want to find our place in the world,” Percontino says. “We all want to find our people, feel confident that we have found our people, not only in our communities but in our work lives. We want to make sure that we connect with the students at least once.”
When asked about the center’s role in students’ lives, Percontino said, “We’re not going anywhere. And we want students to know that they can come to us where, you know, this group of folks that really do care about what they’re doing, where they’re heading, how they’re growing, and what their needs are.”
