Winterim Program Connects Students and Alumni
Conversations help first-year students explore career paths, gain real-world insight, and build confidence in connecting with Dartmouth’s alumni network.
For many first-year students, imagining life after Dartmouth can feel overwhelming. The recent Winterim Chat Program, hosted by the Center for Career Design, helped bring that future into sharper focus—one conversation at a time.
“The Winterim Chat program gives our first-year students the opportunity to start incorporating the alumni community into their career exploration,” said organizer Liz Foster, associate director for alumni/family partnerships and outreach. “Through one simple conversation, students discover how willing alumni are to champion their ambitions and share their experiences. It’s a small-scale program with a big-time impact on building a supportive, lifelong network.”
During Winterim, the period between winter and spring terms, students are paired with alumni for informal, one-on-one conversations about career paths, professional decisions, and life after graduation. For many participants, the experience was both eye-opening and reassuring.
Clara Yuo ’29 found her conversation especially helpful in translating academic interests into real-world applications. “I most appreciated hearing a different perspective on how the Dartmouth education and different majors and classes apply in concrete ways to jobs post-graduation,” she said. The chat also demystified fields like consulting and offered practical advice on networking tools like LinkedIn.
For others, the value came from insights into life beyond the job alone. Lila Hayden ’29 noted that her alumni partner spoke about work-life balance and the realities of demanding careers like corporate law. “It was valuable to just hear candid life experiences,” she said.
Several students said the program shifted how they think about networking altogether. “Initially, I found outreach very intimidating,” said Kaydan Tran ’29. “But Winterim Chat made me realize that alumni are so friendly and want to share their knowledge.”
Keely Ryder ’29 echoed that sentiment, describing the experience as both welcoming and useful. “I realized that the alumni community is very supportive and will likely play an important role for me as I continue on my career path,” she said.
Across all conversations, the common thread was connection. Students walked away not only with new knowledge but also with greater confidence in networking and building relationships within Dartmouth’s unmatched alumni network.
To learn more about how the Center for Career Design supports students and alumni—from programs like Winterim Chat to alumni career coaching—visit their website.