LaShonda Gurley and Lauryn Benge have been running the Center for Career and Vocation and collaborating on various projects to help current students and alum for the past two years. After this last week of the 2021 spring semester, Benge will be graduating and Gurley will be starting new work in her hometown of Lima, Ohio.
The Center for Career and Vocation is one of the three student success centers on campus. Once a student attends Bluffton University, they get a life-long ‘subscription’ to the center and can come back anytime they need from while they are a student to after they graduate. This is a place students can go to help figure out their next steps and even create the necessary portfolios and resumes to get them there.
LaShonda Gurley has served as the director of the Center for Career and Vocation since late fall of 2019, and has also served as an instructor for the becoming a scholar class. In doing this work, Gurley assisted students and alumni alike through career services and vocational discernment. She helps to prepare others for their career, decide their career pathways and connect them to different work opportunities.
LaShonda Gurley, director of the center for career and vocation. Screenshot by Olivia Westcott.
After being able to help so many people, Gurley is moving forward to earn new experiences at her new job with the Ohio State University Lima campus. She will work in her direct area of research, which is advising, retention and organizational development.
“I always feel that any experience I have prepares me for the next,” said Gurley. “Ask yourself if what you are doing today is helping you prepare for what you’re going to do tomorrow. Bluffton has helped with that stepping stone in the next direction. It helped me connect a little bit more robustly with the Lima community, I just want to take it the next step farther to really work attentively with those in my local community.”
During her time here, Gurley was able to make their services to students and alumni more personal as they transitioned to doing everything online in the face of the pandemic. Along with this, Gurley was able to help implement helpful workshops students could attend in a series titled, “Creating Your Story”, where students learn how to make their LinkedIn pages and resumes.
As she prepares to leave, Gurley will miss expanding her purple wardrobe and showing pride of being a beaver. She will also miss the connections she has made through the campus community with students and faculty as well as the community of Bluffton in general.
“Thank you to those in the Bluffton University community for welcoming me and allowing me to become a more integral member of the Bluffton University family,” said Gurley.
Lauryn Benge has worked alongside Gurley for the past two years by being her graduate assistant. She helped to plan multiple events which were held by the center including the workshops, graduate affairs and giving instruction and tips with cover letters and interviews.
Benge expressed how great it was working with Gurley and the impact left on her by having this opportunity.
“[Gurley] is a great leader,” said Benge. “She gives me the opportunity to grow in what we do here. I almost think of her as a mom. She is always there for me and we have discussions just even about life and she kind of helps me through that. Just an all around great person.”
Benge is hopeful for the next director of the center to reach out to students and help make them more aware of the center since a lot of students either don’t know about it at all or don’t know much about it. She expressed how it is important to meet the students where they are at since the purpose of the center is to help students with their life after college.
Lauryn Benge, graduate assistant for the center of career and vocation. Photo by Olivia Westcott.
“Also connecting with the sports coaches because we have a lot of student athletes who come in last-minute their senior year asking ‘What am I supposed to do now?’” said Benge. “So I want the next director to work with those coaches and maybe even set up individual team meetings.”
Benge is a little sad knowing Gurley won’t be at the university anymore, but is excited for her to continue to grow and gain new experiences because “that’s what she deserves.”
“Bluffton is going to miss her, I know I will,” said Benge.
