Southwestern Looking to Alumni to Guide Workforce

Southwestern College has begun investing local resources to enhance alumni engagement at the college as part of a comprehensive workforce development strategy.

The Chula Vista-based institution is hoping that working with alumni who have “been there and done that” will improve student retention and success, while at the same time fostering a closer alignment of its academic programs with industry needs.

“It is widely acknowledged that alumni engagement at the California community college level tends to be humble compared to that observed at four-year institutions,” says Southwestern College Dean for Applied Technology and Hospitality Management Jennifer Lewis.

Viewing the disparity as both a challenge and an opportunity, Lewis said, is why Southwestern is allocating resources toward establishing an Alumni Association focused on engaging alumni interested in supporting students in their industry.

Lewis said that according to a recent alumni survey, 72% of community college graduates expressed interest in staying connected with their college. Furthermore, 57% of alumni respondents expressed interest in assisting both current and prospective students. Of these interested, 44% would provide mentorships and 35% expressed an interest in engaging in speaking opportunities with students about their careers, she said.

“By actively engaging alumni, the institution seeks to identify individuals who want to give back and contribute in kind through work-based learning, providing job opportunities to students and other activities that positively impact students in the career education programs that gave them their start in their careers,” said Jon Kropp, workforce director at SWC.

Kropp, who is responsible for the planning, implementation and deployment of state and federal grants that support the advancement of career education at Southwestern, said there will be a range of planned alumni activities. Those will include networking events, an alumni guest speaker series, workshops, student internships, job fairs, mentorship opportunities, program advisory participation, and other initiatives geared towards advancing student success and continuously in SWC’s career education programs.

‘Payback to the Community’

Gustavo Perez is a local alum who will be part of the initiative. Perez attended Southwestern in 1989 and 1990 and is the managing director at Ernst & Young. He currently serves as the past chair on the Southwestern College Foundation Board.

“My effort is really payback to the community where I came from,” he said.

Perez said he has been particularly impressed with innovative strategies that have been part of the school under the guidance of SWC Superintendent/President Dr. Mark Sanchez and the board of trustees, particularly when it comes to those who have been in the military and are looking to transition to a career outside of that.

Perez said he knows from his own experience with mentors in his life that having support can be keys to success.

“Having a supportive group of professionals that are in the industry can serve as a resource for them as people make their career choices going forward,” he said. “I had great mentors growing up and that’s why I continue the tradition of helping individuals who are looking for opportunities to enhance their career paths by providing data points for them to consider. Some of that is based upon what I’ve lived through and what I’ve learned from my mentors. I want to help them ultimately make the best decisions as they continue to go forward in their careers.”

Jeanine Sharkey, a landscape architect and artist, is a landscape designer at Project Design Consultants – a Bowman Company. Sharkey earned a certificate in landscape architecture from SWC in 2020 and will also be a part of the Alumni Association. She said that after 25 years of working in an office environment, she decided to switch careers.

“To people considering a career change, it’s vitally important that they surround themselves with as many supportive people as possible, preferably those who have already taken this leap,” Sharkey said. “There will be many nay-sayers only too happy to weigh in for whatever reason, so a strong support system will help tune them out.  The alumni network can help with bridging this gap and help facilitate the transition to returning to school.”

She said that as a “very mature student,” the return to school was daunting, and while intergenerational relationships are important, being able to speak with someone who has similar life experiences can go a long way to make the transition easier.

“The alumni network could work to match potential students with graduates who entered similar programs who have likely already grappled with concerns and second thoughts and all those other things that prevent them from making the change into a profession they feel passionate about,” Sharkey said.