The Career Development Center

The future of work is here.

The Career Development Center at Mount Holyoke College will help you explore your interests, refine your path, chart a course for the future, and gain the practical experience you'll need to succeed.

Our mission is to foster lives of intent and purpose through career curiosity, confidence, and knowledge.

We offer you ways to:

Prepare. Our professional career counselors are eager to hear your story and provide solid advice on the steps you need to take to achieve your career goals. Whether you know exactly what you want to do or you’re not sure what direction to take, the CDC is a great place to get started. We can help you learn more about your interests, skills and values through self-assessment.
Build experience. Explore your career interests by finding an internship and connecting with alums, employers and others who can provide you helpful advice.
Connect curriculum to career. We provide a diverse array of opportunities and resources to help you make connections between your strengths and interests as you build career confidence and direction. Programming and individual advising are provided year-round to support you in exploring your options, developing individual goals and ultimately pursuing a life of intent and purpose.
Connect to alums and employers. We facilitate connections between students and employers, alums and other professionals to create opportunities to engage and build networks.

Upcoming events

View all upcoming CDC events

A career counselor working with a student in the Career Development Center

The Mount Holyoke Experience

Career exploration and preparation

Take steps to fulfill your career aspirations. Use our online resources and meet with a career counselor to discuss and develop your career plan.

The CDC is here to help, every step of the way as you design and carry out a job search strategy built around your interests, skills and values.

Schedule an appointment

Student employment

More than 70% of Mount Holyoke’s undergraduates work on-campus - in labs, dining rooms, the computing center, the library and more.

The Lynk

We provide funding for sophomores and juniors to pursue unpaid internship and research opportunities so that each student has the opportunity to explore career interests, gain practical experience and

Recruiting programs

We offer unprecedented access to internship & professional opportunities through our employer partnership with Smith and Amherst Colleges.

Campus Voices

Spotlight on internships

Jen Butler, class of 2025, biochemistry major

An educational journey in the Camp Laboratory

Jen Butler ’25

they/them

Emmanuella Umoye, class of 2025

Forging her own path

Emmanuella Umoye ’25

she/her

Yunwei Ni, class of 2025

Learning English, economics and independence all at the same time

Yunwei Ni ’25

she/her

Explore more stories

Internships by the numbers

Mount Holyoke College researchers found that students who achieved a higher grade point average and those who have completed more than one internship are more likely to be employed or enrolled in graduate school than those who did not. You can find internships through Mount Holyoke College internship programs, existing job postings with external employers, or you can develop your own internship opportunity by contacting an organization and offering to work as an intern. The CDC is here to guide and support you through the process.

Learn about the internship study

$1.5M

Lynk internship funding

We ensure every student has access to a paid internship. In 2024 the College awarded over $1,500,000 in internship funding to 358 students.

95%

Career outcomes

95% of graduates from the class of 2023 for whom outcomes data could be obtained (74% of the class) were employed and/or in graduate school within six months following graduation.

450+

Resume reviews

On average, the CDC reviews over 450 resumes a year to ensure they meet the minimum criteria according to professional standards. After their review, advisors provide constructive feedback and make recommendations.

67%

Summer internship and research experiences

67% of all class of 2025 graduates completed at least one internship. 86% of all class of 2025 graduates completed at least one summer internship, research experience or independent project before graduating.

67%

Graduates completing at least one internship

67% of all class of 2025 graduates completed at least one internship. 86% of all class of 2025 graduates completed at least one summer internship, research experience or independent project before graduating.

Happening at Mount Holyoke

The CDC in the news

Mount Holyoke College Abbey Chapel in late afternoon winter light. Photo by Max Wilhelm, December 2024.

Bringing financial education to women via Projects for Peace

Mount Holyoke College student Alexandra Mihailopol ’26 has been selected by Middlebury College as a recipient of a Projects for Peace grant. She will offer financial literacy education to women in rural Romania via her EmpowHER project.

Mount Holyoke College clock tower in the winter of 2025. Photo by Max Wilhelm.

Creativity in action with Projects for Peace

Mount Holyoke senior Qiao Se Ong ’25 is among the 2025 cohort for Projects for Peace. Her project, based in Colombia, aims to address the impact of dam construction on local communities through creative workshops and collaborations with local artists.

Mount Holyoke College Williston Library. Photo by Max Wilhelm, 2024.

Coffee chat with Rebecca Brenner Graham ’15

The author of “Dear Miss Perkins” had coffee at Frances Perk and discussed the book’s start as a suggestion from Perkins’ biographer and the narrative’s first iteration as Graham’s Mount Holyoke senior thesis.

More News

Career support for graduating students and alums

Mount Holyoke College offers a wide variety of advising services and resources to guide you through the steps necessary to achieve your academic goals beyond graduation. We can meet you wherever you are on your career journey and help you get to the next level!

Law School Advising

To discuss your plans for law school, call the CDC to make an appointment with Yaldira Felix Castro, the MHC Pre-Law Advisor. We offer various opportunities and resources to students and alums considering law school.

Networking through The Gates

We encourage you to utilize The Gates, where alums and students can find one another and stay connected—through all transitions of life.

Graduate school advising

Graduate school—whether it is a one year master’s degree or a six-year PhD program—represents a considerable investment of time and often money. Make an appointment with a CDC career advisor to get started.

Career Development Center staff

Staff

Kristin Balboni

Associate Director, Communications & Metrics

Shannon Bigelow

Assistant Director, Employer Engagement

Caedyn Busche ’17

Associate Director, Career Exploration

Yaldira Felix Castro

Assistant Director and Pre-Law Advisor
Posse Scholars Mentor

Briana Chace

Associate Director of Fellowships

Jaime Grillo Ed.D.

Executive Director

Jamie Kile

Coordinator

Whitney Jorns Kuhnlenz

Director of External Relations and Career Communities

Alexis MacGregor

Assistant Director, Experiential Learning

Meaghan Murphy-Rennie

Assistant Director, External Relations

Jenny Watermill

Senior Associate Director, Experiential Learning & Exploration

Kelly Woods

Associate Director, Career Advising

Contact us

The Career Development Center

The Career Development Center helps students explore interests, refine a path, chart a course and gain practical experience. We facilitate connections between students and employers, alums and others to create opportunities to engage and build networks.

cdc@mtholyoke.edu
413-538-2080
Daniel L. Jones Building

Jamie Kile

Coordinator

Schedule an appointment via Handshake

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