Raising the Bar on Student Advising

Monique Kachadoorian ’21 has built quite a career for herself. Months before graduating, she was hired as a career start/project engineer for Suffolk Construction Company, the largest general contractor in Massachusetts.

After realizing that a large corporate atmosphere was not the right fit for her, she decided to transition into a supervisory role for Kachadoorian Construction, her father’s residential construction company. She has since created her own construction company, Kach Builds LLC.

Reflecting on her career experiences, the alumna notes that the College’s Career Development team played a major role in her early professional triumphs. “The Career Development Center gave me the confidence to take the next step after Suffolk. Because of the preparation I received from the center, I never questioned my ability to find work or work for myself,” she says. “I knew what steps were needed to create a powerful résumé that could be used as leverage to carry me throughout my professional career."

Stonehill has long given priority to connecting students like Kachadoorian with the resources needed to chart a course toward success. In addition to Career Development, these resources include Tutoring Services, Academic Advising and Accessibility Resources.

To leverage the potential synergy of these offices, the College brought them together as one cohesive unit with shared resources, known as the Navigation Center for Student Success. The Center’s mission is rooted in Stonehill’s “Think.Act.Lead.” philosophy, which subscribes to the idea that all students should find mentors who help them realize their dreams.

“Those mentors are meant to help you identify transformative experiences that Stonehill offers, opportunities to get outside your comfort zone and do things that help you realize who you want to become. This idea serves as the foundation for the Navigation Center for Student Success,” notes Christina Burney, the Center’s executive director.

Although many schools boast programs like those offered by the Navigation Center, this campus resource stands out from the pack.

“The fact that Career Development is part of the Center makes it unique,” says Burney. “A lot of the time in centers like ours, students only receive academic support, but we want to think more holistically about helping them navigate their Stonehill journey.”

In the interest of enhancing the College’s advising services, Burney envisions the construction of a physical space that houses the Navigation Center’s four entities under one roof. For now, the Center’s team is focused on providing students with opportunities that not only promote growth and reflection, but also allow them to tap into their full potential, no matter their individual goals.