Best Melanie Garcia Podcasts (2024)

1
How to Leverage Video to Engage Gen Z with Career Services (feat. Willie Wittezehler) 54:57

8d ago54:57

54:57

Willie Wittezehler, Creative Director at Roadtrip Nation, shares best practices for how career centers can use video to engage Gen Z with their services. Willie has produced and directed Roadtrip Nation’s award-winning documentaries for over 16 years and been behind the lens for over 200 interviews. Roadtrip Nation is a nonprofit organization that …

1
Developing an Early Career Exploration Program for Sophomores (feat. Michele Doran and Melanie Murphy) 48:27

22d ago48:27

48:27

Michele Doran and Melanie Murphy of Denison University share how their team built the Journey Program, a popular two-day workshop that helps sophomores with early career exploration. The Journey Program includes four 90-minute sessions designed to help students explore careers, think critically about what they want out of work and life, and come up…

1
Developing an Improv for Interviewing Workshop (feat. Michael DeAngelis) 46:24

1M ago46:24

46:24

Michael DeAngelis, the Senior Associate Director of Communications and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania, shares how he created a popular Improv for Interviewing workshop for Penn students. A former theater major, published playwright, and accomplished podcaster, Michael uses games and techniques from the theater world to help students t…

1
Demystifying the Recruiter Experience with an ATS Simulation (feat. Cheryl Rotyliano) 45:04

2M ago45:04

45:04

Cheryl Rotyliano, Senior Associate Director of Market Readiness and Employment at the Wake Forest University School of Business, discusses the ATS simulation program she developed to demystify the recruiter experience for students. The program involves a one-hour simulation where students review resumes, cover letters, and video interviews to make …

1
How to Make Career Everywhere a Reality on Campus (feat. Nancy Bilmes, Christian Garcia, and Mike Summers) 52:37

2M ago52:37

52:37

In this episode, Nancy Bilmes of UConn, Christian Garcia of the University of Miami, and Mike Summers of Lafayette College each share how they’re making Career Everywhere a reality on their campuses. The University of Connecticut has built one of the most robust and successful Career Champion programs in the country, with over 1,000 faculty, staff,…

1
Building an On-Campus Internship Program (feat. Sarah Coburn) 45:02

3M ago45:02

45:02

Sarah Coburn, Senior Associate Director for Experiential Learning and Employer Engagement at St. Lawrence University, shares how she built a successful on-campus internship program. The on-campus internship program (OCIP) provides paid internships for students to work in various departments on campus, gaining valuable skills and experience. The int…

1
How to Advance Your Career as a Higher Ed Career Services Leader (feat. Audra Verrier) 57:17

3M ago57:17

57:17

Dr. Audra Verrier, Associate Vice Provost of Career and Professional Development at Loyola Marymount University, shares her best advice, tips, and tricks for advancing a career in higher education career services leadership. In the episode, Audra discusses her career journey from career services coordinator to associate vice provost, and how she ma…

1
Strategic Planning for the Career Center (feat. Josh Domitrovich, Kelli Smith, and Mike Summers) 53:46

4M ago53:46

53:46

In this episode, Josh Domitrovich of PennWest, Kelli Smith of Binghamton University, and Mike Summers of Lafayette College each share their approach to strategic planning for their career centers. In the episode, the panelists discuss: What their strategic plans look like (and what their processes entailed) How they involve their teams in the proce…

1
3 Ways to Improve Engagement with Gen Z Students (feat. Josh Taylor and Hayley Hollenberg) 1:02:00

4M ago1:02:00

1:02:00

Josh Taylor and Hayley Hollenberg of the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics share three specific strategies their team is using to better engage Gen Z students with career services. Those three strategies include: A popular career-focused study abroad program in Paris A career development course A revamped web and socia…

1
Career Readiness Efforts with Identity-Based Populations (feat. Larry Jackson) 50:55

5M ago50:55

50:55

Larry Jackson, the Senior Associate Director for Career Education and Engagement at UC Berkeley, discusses the strategies and initiatives his team has implemented to improve career readiness among identity-based populations on campus. In the episode, he highlights the importance of building partnerships with equity and inclusion student-facing grou…

1
Best Practices for Supporting First-Generation Students (feat. Yasi Mahallaty) 51:37

5M ago51:37

51:37

Yasi Mahallaty, the Senior Manager of Strategic Innovation at CareerSpring, talks about how career services can support first-generation students. CareerSpring is a free networking and job placement platform for first-generation/low-income students. CareerSpring is also a headline partner for uConnect’s Curation Kit focused on first-generation/low-…

1
Amplifying Your Impact Through Campus Partnerships (feat. Rebekah Paré) 50:34

5M ago50:34

50:34

Rebekah Paré, the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Paré Consulting and a former longtime career services leader, shares how career leaders can amplify their impact through campus partnerships. After 20 years in career services and higher ed, Rebekah began her consulting business in 2023 to help career centers all around the world develop strat…

1
How Career Services Can Create More Equity and Inclusivity (feat. Jenn Tardy) 47:26

6M ago47:26

47:26

Jenn Tardy, founder and CEO of Jennifer Tardy Consulting, shares several best practices for how career services teams can create more equity and inclusivity. Jennifer Tardy Consulting is a training and consulting firm that specializes in diversity recruiting and retention. Jenn often speaks to employers, recruiters, jobseekers, and career services …

1
How to Use Video to Engage More Students with Career (feat. Matt Phillips and Rebecca Davis) 45:00

6M ago45:00

45:00

Matt Phillips and Rebecca Davis, both of the University of Arizona Global Campus, share how their team uses video to engage more students with career. They discuss the diverse student population at UAGC and the importance of making career development opportunities accessible to all students. They also highlight the various ways they are using video…

1
Career Everywhere in a Decentralized Model (feat. Adam Capozzi) 44:00

7M ago44:00

44:00

Adam Capozzi, Director of Career Services, Assessment, and Student Success at Syracuse University, shares how his team implements Career Everywhere in a distributed, decentralized career services model. In the episode, Adam talks about: What Syracuse’s decentralized career services model looks like (and why it’s set up that way) How all the career …

1
How Career Services Can Support Student Veterans (feat. Eric Stetson) 51:34

7M ago51:34

51:34

Eric Stetson, Director of Engagement and Enrollment at FourBlock and a retired Army officer, shares best practices for how career services teams can support student veterans. In the episode, Eric highlights: The unique challenges student veterans commonly face as part of the career exploration process What career leaders should know about best supp…

1
How Career Services Can Support Retention (feat. Chris Entringer) 46:44

8M ago46:44

46:44

Chris Entringer, Career Services Coordinator and Enrollment Advisor at Northeast Iowa Community College, shares how he and his team work to support retention. He emphasizes the importance of building relationships, collaborating with other departments, and being proactive in reaching out to at-risk students. In this episode, Chris also shares: At a…

1
How to Build and Scale a Career Champion Program (feat. Nancy Bilmes) 52:11

8M ago52:11

52:11

Nancy Bilmes, Director of the Center for Career Development at the University of Connecticut, shares how her team has built and scaled a Career Champion program to include over 800 participants. These faculty, staff, alumni, and employer participants learn about current career-related trends, resources, and language to have more confident and meani…

1
How to Prepare Gen Z for the World of Work (feat. Ang Richard) 45:52

9M ago45:52

45:52

Ang Richard, the Assistant Director of Career Education at Boston University, shares her thoughts on how career services can prepare Gen Z for the world of work. In this episode, Ang shares: Information on who Gen Z is (and some common misconceptions) How employers can better hire and retain Gen Z employees How career services leaders can communica…

1
Why Higher Ed Should Invest More in Career Services (feat. David Kozhuk) 49:21

9M ago49:21

49:21

David Kozhuk, founder and CEO of uConnect, talks about why he thinks higher ed should be investing more in career services. In this episode, David shares: His thoughts on recent criticism surrounding career services Why he thinks higher should be investing more in career services (not less) What the evolution of career services has looked like over…

1
Year in Review: 2023 on the Career Everywhere Podcast 1:05:27

10M ago1:05:27

1:05:27

Join us for a recap of our 2023 episodes of the Career Everywhere podcast! Join the Career Everywhere Community today: careereverywhere.com/communityBy uConnect

1
3 Ways Penn Implements Career Everywhere (feat. Michael DeAngelis) 54:46

10M ago54:46

54:46

Michael DeAngelis, Senior Associate Director of Communications and Technology for the Career Center at the University of Pennsylvania, talks about three ways his team implements Career Everywhere. Those three tactics include: 1. Starting a Career Champions program Launched in Fall 2023, Penn’s new Career Champion program empowers faculty and staff …

1
Connecting Co-Curricular Activities to Career (feat. Ellen Awad) 37:42

11M ago37:42

37:42

Dr. Ellen Awad, Associate Dean for Student Life at Hope College, talks about how to help students connect their co-curricular experiences to career. In the episode, Ellen shares: The importance of connecting co-curricular activities to career development How to help students articulate the skills and competencies they learn in these activities The …

1
Blending Academic Advising and Career Coaching (feat. Amanda Morgan) 43:17

11M ago43:17

43:17

Amanda Morgan, Associate Director of Career Services for the Academic Success and Career Center at Washington State University, shares how WSU blends academic advising and career coaching. In the episode, Amanda talks about: Why (and how) WSU’s Academic Success and Career Center office is set up to blend academic advising and career coaching How th…

1
How to Engage First- and Second-Year Students with Career Services (feat. Kelli Smith and Lexie Avery) 50:14

12M ago50:14

50:14

Kelli Smith and Lexie Avery, both of Binghamton University, share how their team has successfully engaged more first- and second-year students with career services. In this episode, Kelli and Lexie talk about their four-phase strategy, why it’s so important to engage students early and often, and how they’ve increased first-year engagement from 28%…

1
How to Become a Thought Leader on Campus (feat. Manny Contomanolis) 49:04

12M ago49:04

49:04

Manny Contomanolis, Director of the Mignone Center for Career Success at Harvard University, shares how career services professionals can become thought leaders on campus. Manny discusses why thought leadership is so important and provides strategies for becoming a thought leader, such as asking hard questions, leveraging external trends, and being…

1
Implementing Life Design in the Career Center and Beyond (feat. Kerry Spitze and Steve Russell) 48:36

1y ago48:36

48:36

Kerry Spitze and Steve Russell, both of Bowling Green State University, share how their career services team and the entire campus (from the top down) are implementing life design and design thinking. Life design, like Career Everywhere, is all about helping students think about their careers and life after college as early and purposefully as poss…

1
How Career Services Can Support Neurodivergent Students (feat. Jackie Warner) 47:02

1y ago47:02

47:02

Jackie Warner, the Assistant Director of the Center for Career Success at Thomas Jefferson University, shares how career services professionals can support neurodivergent students. In this episode, Jackie talks about: What neurodiversity is What unique challenges neurodivergent students face when it comes to career development What accommodations c…

1
How to Use Data to Track and Improve Student Engagement (feat. Julia Vollrath) 47:49

1y ago47:49

47:49

Julia Vollrath, the Associate Director for Campus Initiatives at the University of Florida, shares how her team is using data to track and improve student engagement. In this episode, Julia talks about: What specific data points her team is measuring (and how they measure them) The most interesting things they’ve discovered in their data How they’r…

1
Why Career Must Be Everywhere (feat. Mike Summers) 44:35

1y ago44:35

44:35

Mike Summers, Associate Vice President of the Gateway Career Center at Lafayette College, shares why he thinks career must be everywhere. “Talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not. So we have to increase the social capital and access to all students,” Mike said. In this episode, Mike talks about: How he and his team have implemented the…

1
Engaging Indigenous Students with Career Services (feat. Beverly Johnson) 42:11

1y ago42:11

42:11

Beverly Johnson, Associate Director of Career Readiness at Arizona State University, shares how her team is engaging Indigenous students with career services. Beverly talks about: The programming and initiatives her team has implemented to reach more Indigenous students What important cultural considerations to keep in mind How career services prof…

1
How to Engage Student-Athletes with Career Services (feat. Carissa Liverpool) 46:18

1y ago46:18

46:18

Dr. Carissa Liverpool, Assistant Athletic Director of Student-Athlete Development for the Scarlet Knights For Life Program at Rutgers University, shares how her team is engaging student-athletes with career services. Carissa talks about: The unique challenges student-athletes face in terms of career development and how to address them How her team …

1
Partnering with the Alumni Office to Support Recent Grads (feat. Emily McCarthy) 46:04

1+ y ago46:04

46:04

Emily McCarthy, Senior Director of Career Development at the University of Arizona, shares how her team partners with the alumni office to support recent grads in their career development. Emily talks about the services they offer recent grads (and why), what the partnership with the alumni office looks like, and how both teams partner to cost-shar…

1
How Teach For America's Career Center Supports Alumni (feat. Monica Clem) 45:12

1+ y ago45:12

45:12

Monica Clem, Vice President of the National Career Center for Teach For America, talks about how the Teach For America (TFA) career center supports its 60,000+ alumni in their careers after the two-year teaching program. Monica shares how her team uses technology (like uConnect’s virtual career center) to engage alumni, how the national and regiona…

1
Moment with Mel, After the Hiatus 34:39

1+ y ago34:39

34:39

After a 2 week hiatus, I’m back with some valuable realizations and lessons. It’s a time in life where “things” are starting to finally feel just right. A few changes here and there but always, Mental Pleasure. Happy listening! Email: info@mymentalpleasure.comBy Melanie Otero

1
How Career Services and Employers Can Partner to Get Students Career Ready (feat. Leonelle Thompson) 43:48

1+ y ago43:48

43:48

Leonelle Thompson, Manager of Early Career at Williams and a former career services leader at Langston University and the University of Tulsa, talks about how career services teams and employers can work together to get students career ready. Having worked in both corporate recruiting and higher education career services, Leonelle discusses: What c…

1
How to Evaluate, Purchase, and Get the Most Out of Your EdTech Stack (feat. Joe Testani) 1:06:58

1+ y ago1:06:58

1:06:58

Joe Testani, Deputy to the President and former Associate Vice Provost for Career Education Initiatives at the University of Rochester, talks in this episode about how career services (and higher ed in general) can better partner with education technology vendors. Before taking on his new high-level role as Deputy to the President in 2022, Joe work…

1
Fitness Guru Tyler Nation, What the Hell Is a Keto? 1:27:51

1+ y ago1:27:51

1:27:51

Mental pleasure listeners, please welcome fitness guru, Tyler Nation, back to the stage as we discuss everything you need to know for not only starting the fitness journey you’ve been promising yourself for years now but also how to maintain and stay consistent; ideally turning your fitness/healthy habits into a lifestyle. Summer is right around th…

1
3 Ways to Make Career Services Everybody’s Business (feat. Christian Garcia) 51:42

1+ y ago51:42

51:42

Christian Garcia, Associate Dean and Executive Director of the Toppel Career Center at the University of Miami, talks in this episode about his team’s motto: “Career services is everybody’s business." He also shares three specific ways his team is implementing this motto across campus: 1. Faculty toolkit and webpage. The team created a PDF toolkit …

1
Moment with Mel 35:36

1+ y ago35:36

35:36

A little update on life and a very relatable story that proves sh*t happens. Books mentioned: Meta Human by Deepak Chopra Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav Email: Info@mymentalpleasure.comBy Melanie Otero

1
The One with Aiden 36:59

1+ y ago36:59

36:59

Mental Pleasure, help me welcome the living legend, my son, Aiden Vargas. Today is Aiden’s 10th birthday and I decided it would be a great idea to ask him a few questions. It makes for a great memento and will definitely be entertaining to listen to 10 years from now. Happy listening!By Melanie Otero

1
How to Improve Equity and Access to Career Services (feat. Mark Peltz) 1:07:15

1+ y ago1:07:15

1:07:15

Mark Peltz, the Daniel and Patricia Jipp Finkelman Dean of the Center for Careers, Life, and Service at Grinnell College, talks about how to improve equity and access to career services. In this episode, Mark walks through several specific strategies he and his team have implemented and how they used those strategies to achieve a 98% engagement rat…

1
Moment with Mel - Kicking Ass & Taking Names 15:52

1+ y ago15:52

15:52

A little motivational push for all of us. Watch and Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCavzs61t7z9ILVdqcs4R_SA Email: Info@MyMentalPleasure.com Instagram: @mymentalpleasureBy Melanie Otero

1
Part 2 Addiction, Childhood Trauma and Race Cars with Austin Martin 1:08:11

1+ y ago1:08:11

1:08:11

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses sexual abuse and drug use. We welcome back Austin Martin for the Part 2 of Addictions, Childhood Trauma and Race Cars. This time we discuss more about what comes after the trauma - the lessons, goals, purpose and most importantly dealing with life and all it brings. Therapy for anyone: https://www.betterhelp.…

1
How to Make Career Services a Requirement by Embedding It Into Curriculum (feat. Gene Rhee and Jessica Best) 58:24

1+ y ago58:24

58:24

In an effort to engage more students with career services (and earlier in their college careers), the University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business career center partners with faculty to add career-related assignments to three core business classes. The assignments, all asynchronous and requiring no live class time, are sprinkled throughout: B…

1
Addiction, Childhood Trauma and Race Cars with Austin Martin 1:02:31

1+ y ago1:02:31

1:02:31

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses sexual abuse and drug use. Mental Pleasure welcomes Austin Martin this week, as he bravely opens up about the sexual abuse he endured during his childhood and how the undealt trauma led to a substance addiction he struggles with to this day. With the help of therapy and the realization of a possible anger dis…

1
The 6 Pieces of Advice I Needed A Long Time Ago 39:11

1+ y ago39:11

39:11

Coming back from a much needed, rest-filled, child-free vacation and your girl is feeling better than ever! I’m very excited to share some insight now that my neurological system has had a chance to compose itself or more like once I’ve given it a chance to rest. From letting your body rest hard to not claiming this healing journey as your identity…

1
A Beautiful Chaos with Mental Pleasure 1:24:42

1+ y ago1:24:42

1:24:42

Join me this week as I’m featured on the debut episode for the podcast, A Beautiful Chaos with Stephen Vultaggio! We talk through everything from Mental Pleasure as a brand, my sobriety, and experience with therapy. I believe what truly makes this episode is its’ vulnerability and honesty throughout our entire conversation but you’ll have to listen…

1
Introducing Faculty to Career Resources (feat. Laura Kestner-Ricketts) 47:21

1+ y ago47:21

47:21

Laura Kestner-Ricketts, Executive Director of Career and Professional Development at Augustana College, shares how she introduces faculty to career resources in a super scalable, efficient way. In this episode, Laura offers a step-by-step overview of a new 45-minute program she launched at Augustana that trains faculty on how to navigate the career…

1
A Mental Health Break, Who Would've Thought? 48:53

1+ y ago48:53

48:53

Of all the things you’d need a break from, who would’ve thought you’d need a little time out from working on your mental health? Unfortunately, I learned this lesson the hard way, as I do most lessons, but this one seems to be one of those that will stick around for a while. Though therapy has helped uncover and discover, it has left me feeling lik…

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