The new College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Pathways to Innovation and Leadership program is designed to enhance students’ innovation, leadership and career readiness, giving them a competitive edge when applying for internships, jobs, scholarships and graduate school.
“Most of the time it is very challenging for students to think about what skills they’re developing from their courses or what skills they are developing from their experiential learning, and that is biggest gap that we’re trying to fill, and helping them reflect using the pathways program,” Amy Mendee, the pathways program coordinator, said.
The program works with all students to help them develop personalized pathways. The program includes micro-credential workshops, the pathway planner and impactful experiment learning.
“The students in CALS are very, very involved and we really empathize with experiential learning and hands-on learning activities,” Mendee said. “But what is missing is students reflecting on their experiences and their skills development. And the pathways program helps that.”
The pathway planner helps students outline hands-on learning opportunities and help build the skills necessary to achieve their career, graduate school or professional aspirations.
“We want every CALS student to use the pathway planner from day one, and they can use it after their experience is done here at Iowa State,” Mendee said.
The purpose behind the planner is to strategically plan ahead, make the most of one’s time, enhance involvement and hone key skills for growth and development.
“Personally, the pathway planner has helped me look at the bigger picture and plan to maximize my time and accomplishments while at ISU,” Kaylee Cavanh, a junior in agricultural business, said.
The micro-credential workshops offer small-group training for strengths-based leadership and innovation led by industry experts. After attending the workshop, students can attain LinkedIn digital badges to showcase their efforts in their new skills.
“I completed the innovation, leadership, and public speaking workshops,” Katie Ferguson, a sophomore in agricultural studies, said. “These activities have taught me how to leverage my skills to increase my productivity and initiate change. In fact, the program has been so instrumental in my development that it helped me to secure an internship for the summer.”
Currently, the pathways program has two different micro-credential workshops with a series of dates: “Creative Confidence for Innovation Workshop Series” and “Leading with Strength Workshop Series.”
The program also provides scholarships and peer leadership training opportunities for program graduates.
“We want every student to see this as a program that can benefit them, as a student, or in a future job,” Carmen Bain, associate dean of academic innovation, said. “Or if they want to use this program to help them get scholarships, overall to really help them reflect on themselves and find what their purpose is.”
On the CALS Pathways to Innovation and Leadership website is the “Learn by Doing” search engine that allows students to discover new opportunities to elevate skills and make connections across campus.
The search engine incorporates various student opportunities, including academic opportunities, employment, creative/technical opportunities, entrepreneurship and campus leadership.
“I gained leadership skills through CALS Pathways,” Shoki Hirano, a master’s student in animal science, said. “Before the program, I was not confident with leadership. Through the program, I learned that leadership is not about becoming someone who is not myself, but it is about understanding who I am, what strengths I have and how to use them to leave an impact on the community in a way that others cannot do.”
“Here at Iowa State, we talk about the importance of innovation and of developing an innovative mindset and a skills set, and yet it is important to think about what opportunities we can provide for students to develop those skills, and the CALS pathway program will help them,” Bain said.
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