Career Development: Daryn Bronsink and Nathan Milner

By: Emily Neideck

Daryn Bronsink and Nathan Milner work in Career Development at Indiana Wesleyan University. This department has many unique qualities that guide students in their journey during and after college. Bronsink and Milner work specifically with students, helping them find jobs and internships during and after college.

Daryn Bronsink
Daryn Bronsink

Bronsink, the Employer Relations Coordinator, connects with employees within and outside of the state of Indiana. He stated, “I try to discover what their needs are, certain positions they need to fill or even, skills gaps they see within new employees.” Learning what skills students are missing when they enter the career world allows Bronsink to plan educational activities to strengthen those skills.

Not only does Bronsink seek out job opportunities for IWU students, but he also builds relationships with the employers. The employers, in turn, attend career fairs, recruiting events at the Career Development kiosk and mock interview days. Bronsink said, “I also do career coaching with students. I help them to discover where their skills fit within different careers. We also learn to write resumes, cover letters and do mock interviews.”

Nate Milner
Nate Milner

Milner, Internship Coordinator, oversees the Accelerate Indiana internship program. The program is a part of Lilly Endowment grant and places students in start-up companies around Indiana. The program not only allows start-up companies in Indiana to succeed, but gives students unique internship opportunities. Each internship is paid by Indiana Wesleyan.

The goal of the Lilly Endowment grant is to create jobs in Indiana, hoping that students will remain in the state upon graduation. Milner stated, “The program allows students to use the experience they gain to find a job after graduation, or even, to find a job within the same company in which they interned.” Internships and jobs in different states are also found for students. Students are also able to complete summer internships through Career Development. These internships can, in some cases, gain them credits toward their degree.

Amy Hobson, a Spring 2017 graduate, received an internship through Career Development. She said, “I think my internship was a great way for me to get real-word experience working in a small business. It opened my eyes to all of the working parts that are necessary when running a business, and it also allowed me to apply some of the concepts I had learned in the classroom.”

The university benefits highly from the Career Development program. Milner stated, “We are here to help students go beyond their four years in college. The program is a launching pad into their careers. We see more and more government, parent and people outside of the university that are looking at what students are learning in college.” Employers want to ensure that their employees have hands-on experience before entering the workforce, and the Career Development program enables that.

Bronsink and Milner work hard to engage the IWU community. They speak in different classes about the Career Development program opportunities. Career Development also hosts a Graduate School fair, different field trips, an Experience Indiana Job and Internship fair and different mock interview days. These different events allow students to discover jobs and internships and better prepare for life after graduation.

 

Written by Emily Neideck, writer for the Alumni Center and a junior Writing major at IWU. She is active on the cross country and track teams. She is passionate about using her writing skills to share the good news of Christ with others and writes often on her personal blog at www.emilylehner.wordpress.com.