Students Who Are First-Generation

Welcome to the First-Generation Connections Community!

The Career Center recognizes that social identities and career experiences often intersect and that Villanovans may face specific challenges navigating the career development process as they explore the world of work. This is a space to connect students who are first-generation, alumni who were first-generation and employers with one another through networking, professional development and educational events and programming. We will continually develop this community as we become aware of additional opportunities to advance the growth of all members of our community.

Should diverse students, recent grads be more concerned about employers’ use of applicant tracking systems?

Published on December 2, 2024

When diverse college students and recent graduates step into the job market, they encounter a variety of employers, including large ones that often utilize Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Understanding how these systems work and how to effectively tailor applications can …

By College Recruiter
College Recruiter believes that every student and recent grad deserves a great career.
Read more

Wildcat Spotlight | Zenaida De La Cruz, CLAS ’24: “As a first-generation student, the support I received as an undergraduate student was invaluable”

Published on November 1, 2024

We are proud to feature success stories from First Generation students around the Villanova community.

Zenaida De La Cruz | Major: Sociology; Minors: Criminology, Peace & Justice, Public Service and Administration | Class of 2024

“My time with Villanova’s Career Center played …

By Megan Pongratz
Megan Pongratz
Send Email
Read more

Decoding Company Culture: Top Questions to Ask During a Job Interview

Published on October 1, 2024

By: Rob Porter, originally published on Vault 4/29/24

For job seekers, workplace culture can often be the deciding factor on whether they accept an offer from a company. You could get some information about a company’s workplace culture by checking …

By Megan Pongratz
Megan Pongratz
Send Email
Read more

Sidebar

Identity and Career Readiness Resources

View All Resources

Career Readiness Resources



View All Resources

Skill Building Courses

Insights from a College Career Coach

Taught by Valerie Sutton
Are you feeling stuck in your current position, seeking a new one, or contemplating a career change? In this interview,…
Learn More

A Day In The Life of a Data Scientist

Taught by Madecraft
The best way to understand what it’s actually like to work as a data scientist is to spend the day…
Learn More

Working with Recruiters

Taught by Barbara Bruno
No matter how big your network is, a recruiter’s network is bigger. A recruiter can be a great resource to…
Learn More

Navigating Your Data/Analytics Career as a Millennial or Post-millennial

Taught by Henrica Makulu
Millennials and post-millennials have often been accused of lacking patience and endurance in their careers. People say that because they’re…
Learn More

Closing the Seven Power Gaps That Limit Your Career

Taught by Pete Mockaitis | How to Be Awesome at Your Job
Want to put yourself ahead of 98% of high-potential professionals? Then you need to tackle the seven power gaps that…
Learn More

LinkedIn Premium Quick Tips

Taught by Garrick Chow
Looking for a new role, but not sure where to start? You can find your next job—or simply get ahead…
Learn More

Cloud Careers: From Developer to Architect

Taught by Lee Atchison
Ever wondered what it would be like to be a cloud architect? Are you looking to boost your career? In…
Learn More

Speaking Up for Yourself and Underrepresented Groups

Taught by Jessica Chen
Are you at a point in your career where you’ve realized that putting your head down, doing the work, and…
Learn More

New Manager Foundations

Taught by Todd Dewett
As a new manager, you need to establish your identity as a leader, connect with your team, build trust, develop…
Learn More

Thriving through Career Challenges

Taught by Brittany Cole
In this course, Brittany N. Cole takes you through a process to not just withstand but actually grow and develop…
Learn More

Unconscious Bias (with Audio Descriptions)

Taught by Stacey Gordon
To some degree, we are all biased. Our experiences shape who we are, and our dimensions of diversity—race, ethnicity, gender,…
Learn More

How to Get a Job in Web3 and Blockchain

Taught by Anthony Day
Blockchain technology and Web3 are transforming the way economies, businesses, and applications run worldwide, and there is a steadily increasing…
Learn More

Insights from a Cybersecurity Professional

Taught by Mike Chapple
Are you interested in starting a career in cybersecurity, already in cybersecurity and looking for your next move, or just…
Learn More

Machine Learning and AI: Advanced Decision Trees with SPSS

Taught by Keith McCormick
If you’re working towards an understanding of machine learning, it’s important to know how to work with decision trees. In…
Learn More

Machine Learning and AI Foundations: Decision Trees with KNIME

Taught by Keith McCormick
Suggested prerequisites General familiarity with supervised machine learning Understanding of terms such as target variable, input variable, algorithm, and train/test…
Learn More

Introduction to Career Skills in Software Development

Taught by Annyce Davis
Are you ready to take the first step on your journey as a computer programmer? Maybe you want to land…
Learn More

Machine Learning and AI Foundations: Advanced Decision Trees with KNIME

Taught by Keith McCormick
Every year, it seems, there is a new hot trend in data science. One of the hottest predictive analytics algorithms…
Learn More

Machine Learning with Python: Decision Trees

Taught by Frederick Nwanganga
Decision trees are one of the most common approaches used in supervised machine learning. Building a decision tree allows you…
Learn More

The Path: Advice from Business Leaders to Guide Your Career

Taught by LinkedIn News
Welcome to The Path: Advice from Business Leaders to Guide Your Career. In each installment of this ongoing series, LinkedIn…
Learn More

Cybersecurity Careers: Become a Security Auditor

Taught by Mike Miller
Security advisors help organizations to stay secure. If you are considering a career as a security auditor, this course can…
Learn More
View All Classes

Alumni Connections

Tarmim Chowdhury

Alumni
  • New York, NY
  • Finance and Sales Analyst USI Insurance Services
Meet Tarmim >

Anna C. Pelligra, Esq.

Alumni
  • Manasquan, NJ
  • Founder & Owner Anna Catherine Pelligra Law LLC
Meet Anna C. >

Nameer A. Bhatti

Alumni
  • Bryn Mawr, PA
  • Senior Financial Analyst Aqua America
Meet Nameer A. >

Lauren R. Rutherford, MPH

Alumni
  • New York, NY
  • Research Assistant Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Meet Lauren R. >

David Dachille

Alumni
  • King of Prussia, PA
  • Sr. Manager Global Supply Chain Operations Lockheed Martin
Meet David >

Gina Priano-Keyser

Alumni
  • New Providence, NJ
  • Professional Actor Actors'​ Equity Association
Meet Gina >

Jennifer Duignan

Alumni
  • Chatham, NJ
  • Senior Vice President of Global Delivery Atlas
Meet Jennifer >

John Ervin, MBA, BSN, RN, PMP, CPC

Alumni
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • COO and Property Manager ATLANTIC GASTROENTEROLOGY ASSOCIATES
Meet John >

Ashley Bernard-Cabrera

Alumni
  • Newark, NJ
  • Therapy Aide Main Line Health
Meet Ashley >

Lamar Golden

Alumni
  • Clementon, NJ
  • Firefighter Clementon Fire Rescue
Meet Lamar >

Keith Mathews

Alumni
  • North Arlington, NJ
  • Retail Sales Specialist Staples
Meet Keith >

Rabia Koureissi

Alumni
  • Villanova, PA
  • Intern Rothman Institute
Meet Rabia >
View All People

Labor Market InsightsIn partnership withLightcast logo

Explore occupations by career categories and pathways and use real time labor market data to power your decision making.

First, choose an industry of interest, then filter for occupation. (If you'd like to see data for a specific location only, filter by state.)

Type in a keyword to select a relevant occupation. (If you'd like to see data for a specific location only, filter by state.)

Blog | Employers | Events | Jobs | Labor Market Insights | LinkedIn Learning | Mentors | Resources | Videos