The smell of pizza with cheese, pepperoni, and sausage fills the air. As students chat about potential pathways and careers. The event Pizza and Pathways is held in Gray Wolf Hall room 384. The event was hosted by Lily Fox and Diane Houston, both faculty advisors.

The fields represented by different faculty associates were social science, humanities, education, and public safety. Most of the faculty that attended were pathway advisors available for questions at the end of the event. The start of the event featured a series of short advice sessions from a couple different advisors.

“You’re not supposed to have all the answers, that’s what we are here for.” Paula Solis Krock, education pathway advisor, wisely states.

This event was designed to encourage students to reach out to faculty advisors. Advisors all have had experience working in other fields. They can provide insight and advice for students who potentially want to go into a certain field. Advisors can also assist students with navigating EvCC and any problems that may come up during the quarter.

“Bring your concerns. Something bothering you. Whatever you discuss is between you and me. But if there is a bigger concern, something we need to advocate for. Then of course, I am going to take it to higher administration. And discuss those things and make sure that we provide you with all the resources. To make you successful.” Advises Lobna Mazzawi, faculty advisor for computer science.

Your advisor can not only help with challenges but can also help with finding the career that’s right for you. Which is why it’s valuable to remember that your advisor does not expect you to go into the field you originally started with. You are free to switch fields at any time after you get an idea of what you’re interested in. Your advisor is there to support you and what you are interested in. Not to hold you to a field that may not be right for you.

Another useful assistance that can be provided by advisors is that they can be real with you. Your advisor can sit down with you and be honest about the realities of the designated career field. Some jobs seem a lot more exciting when you read about or even learn about it than when you actually get into the field. When in reality there are a lot of cons that you may not have known about. Which is why your advisor can go over all the negatives and positives of a certain career.

A good piece of advice that was given during the event was for first year students to find a professor, faculty advisor, or staff member to take you under their wing. Someone who can encourage and help guide you through the system. This relationship could help ensure that you have support when you need it and provide opportunities that benefit your education pathway.

Faculty advisor Lily Fox discussed why EvCC is a great fit for students who either have no idea what career they want to pursue or students who have an idea of what they want to pursue. EvCC provides a variety of classes for multiple career fields to help students get an idea of what they are interested in.

“I think really one of the most exciting things about the pathways that are represented here are really you have access to so many courses. And it might be a great taste about what you might want to study later. There are a lot of career paths that can come from the humanities and the social sciences.” Fox explains.

It is also important for first year students to know who their advisor is. The best way to find your advisor is by figuring out the potential major that you are interested in. The EvCC website has a staff directory and there is an option under faculty advisors that lists all the departments with the different advisors. You can also contact the advising center to get further information on who your advisor is.

At the end of the event students were encouraged to find a pathway advisor in the room that specializes in the field that you are interested in. To give students an opportunity to ask questions about the intended pathway. Even though it wasn’t advertised, a STEM faculty advisor, Valerie Mosser, appeared at the event to provide feedback for students interested in the program. “She had just mentioned that someone rsvp as a health care profession or a stem person. So I thought I would come over just in case anyone needed advice or anything.”

Finding the career or pathway that interests you can be difficult, but events like Pizza and Pathways can make the journey easier. By providing faculty associates who have had different experiences working in a variety of fields. Advice for students who don’t know much about advisors and what they do. And encouraged an open environment to include all voices. Overall this was a successful event that was beneficial for any EvCC student looking to expand their knowledge of the resources available.