The Alumni Foundation and Career Services have teamed together to host an event, Passport to Success, for juniors, seniors, and graduate students. The event focuses on the future of Delta State’s students. Passport to Success will create LinkedIn profiles for the participants free of charge. LinkedIn is a networking tool for professionals and for anyone who is interested in taking their professional lives seriously by finding new opportunities to grow their careers and to connect with other professionals.

Jeffrey Farris, Director of Alumni Association, stated, “LinkedIn is very similar to Facebook. In fact, many people create LinkedIn accounts but abandon them because they are not aware of how to use the website. For this event, we will teach students all the benefits of the website and how to properly use its features.”

Students will register for the event and receive their Passport card. Next they will go to the Alumni Foundation table, where the computers are located. Students will sit down with a volunteer, a Career Services staff member, or an Alumni Foundation staff member and will assist in creating their LinkedIn profile by giving sound advice and tips.

Students will then proceed to the Communication & Marketing table and get their professional headshot taken. The photo will have the background of Delta State. Students are not required to dress professionally, but it is strongly encouraged.

Afterwards, students will attend an information seminar regarding appropriate dressing for interviews and the workplace and discuss business etiquette.

There will also be other stations and tables available to students, such as a Social Media station, where the volunteers will make sure that you follow all of Delta State’s social media accounts.

When students go to a table, they will receive a whole punched in their Passport card and if a person has gone to everywhere station or table, they will be entered in to a drawing for a scholarship.

“We want to do everything we can to enhance the transition from college into the workforce. This is the first Passport to Success event and it definitely won’t be the last,” Farris stated.

Passport to Success will be hosted on the second floor of the H.L. Nowell Student Union on April 12. The time has yet to be announced. To found out more information or have any questions, please feel free to contact Davlon Miller, Director of Career Services, by email at [email protected] and Jeffrey Farris by email at [email protected].