Chrestman named permanent leader for MSU Career Center
Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 Mississippi 大象APP alumna with approximately 15 years of career services experience is now leading MSU鈥檚 Career Center.
Angie Chrestman, who has served as the Career Center鈥檚 interim director since last July, now is the permanent director. Chrestman succeeds Scott Maynard, who retired in 2017 after leading the center for nine years.
The Career Center provides a wide variety of services and events to help MSU鈥檚 more than 21,800 students prepare for and find jobs after graduation. The center also runs a robust internship and co-op program, which Chrestman led before filling the director role.
鈥淚鈥檓 extremely excited about this opportunity because we have such a great staff with a heart for working with students,鈥 Chrestman said. 鈥淲e want to make sure we鈥檙e offering the best services for students, parents, faculty and for the employers. We want to do everything we can do to make sure those connections are made, that students have a positive experience, and they walk away feeling like they have been assisted with their goals for their career.鈥
Chrestman earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary education from MSU, but soon realized she wanted to go another direction with her career. Chrestman began working as an MSU Extension 4-H agent, then moved to the state 4-H staff to serve as the state 4-H youth leadership development coordinator. While working for Extension, she completed a master鈥檚 degree in community counseling at MSU.
鈥淛ust because you get a degree in a certain area, doesn鈥檛 mean that鈥檚 what you will do for your whole life,鈥 Chrestman said. 鈥淵our career path is not necessarily linear. I have a co-worker that talks about it looking like a lattice. You can go in a lot of different directions and do a lot of different things.鈥
The Career Center organizes several events throughout the year to connect students and alumni with potential employers. One of the largest events is Career Days, which will take place Jan. 30-31 and draw approximately 175 employers to campus. In addition to networking events, the Career Center offers resume critiques, mock interviews, career planning classes and more.
As director, Chrestman is working with her staff and the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness to develop a strategic plan for the center as it moves forward.
鈥淲e know what we鈥檝e always done in terms of programs, services and events,鈥 Chrestman said. 鈥淣ow we want to see what we can do to take that to the next level so we can service the greater population of students on our campus.鈥
For more on the Career Center, visit .
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