The Republic Bank Foundation Institute for Career Development & Graduate School Planning (ICG) at Thomas More University empowers students through career development resources and support. The ICG offers training for a range of job-seeking skills, such as interviewing and resume writing, provides graduate school advising, and connects students to experiential learning opportunities, such as internships and co-ops, and full-time employment opportunities.

In the 2019-20 academic year, a student ambassador program launched in the ICG, expanding the institute’s reach on Thomas More’s campus. Moreover caught up with three alumni who served as student ambassadors as they shared more about the professional and personal impacts of the ICG.

Tyrice Walker ’21 recalls that his involvement with the ICG began as an accident – or more so, an act of kindness. Shortly after transferring to Thomas More as a sophomore, Tyrice says one day he noticed a woman struggling outside of the cafeteria. “She had this huge, long folding table,” Walker says, adding, with a laugh, “It did not look like a winnable scenario.”

Walker, then a 6’4’’ guard for Saints men’s basketball, stopped to offer his help.  “The next thing I know, I’m checking people in, passing out tickets,” Walker says. He ended up staying for an entire event. The woman he had stopped to help was Samantha Palmer, then coordinator of career planning for the ICG. The connection Walker made that day, forged through kindness, would later pay off with an opportunity to join the ICG in an official capacity as one of its first career ambassadors. 

The goal for the career ambassadors was simple – to tap into the talents of a standout group of students to help market and support ICG services for the Thomas More community. The ambassadors supported the ICG during campus events, helped manage Handshake* (an online job board platform), created content for the ICG’s social media accounts, and conducted peer reviews for students seeking help with their resumes.

A self-described “people person,” Walker says his favorite part of the role was helping students prepare for upcoming interviews. “It’s a combination of building a resume and then having the courage to speak about it,” he says. Walker says that through the ICG he received in-depth training on how to build resumes to showcase skills and experiences to employers. He didn’t fully realize it at the time, but his training and experience coaching students in the ICG helped lay a foundation to begin his career and put him on the path to discover his professional passions. He now works as a human resources manager for P&G’s Global Oral Care Design teams. “Never in a million years did I think I’d be in HR when I was in college,” Walker says. “Looking back, I don’t think I fully appreciated the opportunity, at the time.”

Mason Kramer ’22 gives credit to the ICG for helping him build the professional skills to land his first internship. “I knew that networking would be important to finding a job,” Kramer recalls. While juggling responsibilities as a student athlete for the Saints football team, and working part-time jobs as a valet and for a local landscaping company, Kramer says he became connected to the ICG through an advertisement for the career ambassadors program.

Later in his college career, a friend introduced Kramer to a prestigious internship opportunity at Medpace, a global clinical research organization (CRO) headquartered in Cincinnati. Building on his experience at the ICG and academic success, Kramer landed an internship in the spring of 2021, and through his efforts secured a full-time job offer with the company after graduation.

After applying for and landing the role of ambassador, Kramer says working in the ICG had one outcome he didn’t expect. Not only did he learn new skills such as graphic design and interviewing, but working in the ICG helped him create order in what could be a chaotic schedule as a college athlete. “I could go to the ICG, work on homework; it helped me with my academics and gave me some structure,” Kramer says. “After a few semesters, I was honored as an Academic All-American.”

 “My experiences at the ICG – knowledge about resumes, experience with mock interviews and what businesses are looking for – helped me secure this role.”

Ashley Roderick ’20 ‘22 says landing the role of ambassador at the ICG helped “kickstart” her career during her final year as a student at Thomas More. As an ambassador, Roderick helped the University launch its presence on Handshake* and implemented it as a tool to connect students with employers. She says enjoyed learning about the goals for Handshake, helping to onboard employers wanting to reach Thomas More students, and helping classmates learn how the platform could be leveraged to secure a job or internship.

Roderick now works as a business process analyst for Great American Insurance Group and says she can see the connections between the work she did as a student ambassador and her current career. “This is where my time in the ICG truly comes to fruition,” Roderick asserts. “I’ve found I like being at the beginning of a program, being able to introduce it, and fixing problems.”

She says the experience of interacting with students on campus also reinforced her confidence in her communication skills, adding, “In my career now, I’m in front of people all day — during meetings, working on compliance. Being able to communicate is important.”

Roderick offers a piece of advice for current students who are at the start of their own career journeys: “Learn more about all that the University offers – like the ICG. There are so many people who want to help [students]. There is no reason why someone can’t be successful at Thomas More.”

ICG programming, now led by Coordinator of Career Planning Emilee Huser, continues to support career exploration and coaching, as well as job search and skills training for Thomas More students. “Emilee’s plans for the upcoming academic year are chock-full of programs and initiatives to support our students and foster a culture of excellence,” says Kim Haverkos, assistant vice president for academic and student success. “We are excited to continue to leverage the Republic Bank Foundation Institute for Career Development & Graduate School Planning as a structure that provides comprehensive support to our Thomas More students in the development of professional skills, with a focus on high-impact practices and experiential learning.”

Services the ICG provides are open to Thomas More students and alumni. For more information on services and resources, visit thomasmore.edu/icg. In-person assistance is available via appointment with Emilee Huser by emailing [email protected] or calling 859-344-3386. The ICG is located on the second floor of the Administration Building in the Academic Services wing. For employers who would like to engage with Thomas More’s Republic Bank Foundation Institute for Career Development & Graduate School Planning, please contact Emilee Huser.

*As of the 2024-25 academic year, Thomas More University has phased out its use of Handshake, due to ever-changing technology and workforce needs. LinkedIn has been substituted as the primary tool for students seeking to connect with employers.