Graduate Student Engagement Program application deadline May 15

If you are a full-time graduate student whose focus is career development or a faculty member working with full-time grad students in career counselling or a related field, then you want to know about the CERIC Graduate Student Engagement Program (GSEP). Applications for 2014 are due by May 15.

CERIC encourages engagement of Canada’s full-time graduate students whose academic research is in career development or associated areas such as education, psychology, organizational development or social work. Faculty members are asked to help identify appropriate students.

Through this program, graduate students will be introduced to CERIC and invited to:

• Compete for the CERIC Graduate Student Program Award, which provides funding to attend and present at the Cannexus National Career Development Conference;

• Join one of CERIC’s committees (one graduate student per year);

• Write articles for ContactPoint / OrientAction, our internationally recognized online communities for professionals in the career development field;

• Submit an article to the peer-reviewed The Canadian Journal of Career Development that you can include on your CV;

• Connect with other graduate students through the GSEP Network, a dedicated LinkedIn group.

Angela Katsamakis won a CERIC Graduate Student Program Award last year. The award provided a free registration to the Cannexus14 conference and $1,000 to cover expenses.

“My membership with GSEP at CERIC offered me an opportunity to attend and present at Cannexus, but more importantly to get connected with those working in a field I felt so passionate about. Career is a lifelong process, as is the learning we will undergo, and GSEP is the perfect way to engage in the dialogue of the journey,” said Katsamakis, a Master of Counselling Psychology student at the University of British Columbia, who is working with Dr Norman Amundson.

Through GSEP, Angela was also able to have her article, The Power of Mentorship: A Personal Reflection, published on ContactPoint.

Danni Lei, a Master of Counselling Psychology student at the University of Calgary, was also a recent recipient of a GSEP Award. “Being part of the GSEP has allowed me to further explore my research and professional interests through writing an article that I was proud to share with family, friends and colleagues. In addition, receiving GSEP’s support allowed me to contribute to the exciting field of career development by supporting my attendance at the Cannexus conference for my very first speaking presentation,” said Lei, who is a student of Dr Nancy Arthur.

Lei’s article, The Importance of Understanding Cultural and Familial Influences on Career Development: Through a Chinese-Canadian’s Experience, can also be found on ContactPoint.

 You can listen to videos from other current and former graduate students, including Barbara Smith, Basak Yanar and, in French, Mathieu Pinault, on their experiences with GSEP.

Interested in getting involved? You can send questions to admin@ceric.ca or apply for GSEP using our easy application form.