Career Path of a Serna Center Coordinator at Sacramento State
As a first-generation college student, Saray's career path began by leveraging campus support programs like EOP and CAMP, leading to a student assistant position at the Serna Center during sophomore year. "Taking more opportunities, even if it meant taking them scared," Saray then gained experience with EOP and CAMP, eventually landing a full-time role with CAMP post-graduation for three and a half years before circling back to the Serna Center as a coordinator, demonstrating a commitment to student support and career growth through campus opportunities.
First-Generation College Student, Student Support Programs, Campus Resources, Student Assistant Positions, Career Advancement
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Saray Aguirre
Serna Center Coordinator
California State University, Sacramento
CSU, Sacramento
CSU, Sacramento - MA in Education (Higher Educational Leadership & Policy Studies)
Anthropology, Sociology
Education
Education
HSI Grad, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Saray's first year of college was focused on familiarizing herself with campus resources and support programs like EOP and CAMP, highlighting the importance of utilizing available resources for first-generation college students.
2. Saray gained valuable experience by working in student assistant positions throughout college, including at the Cerna Center and with the EOP and CAMP programs. This demonstrates the importance of on-campus jobs for career development.
3. Saray secured a full-time job with the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) immediately after graduation, which shows the benefit of networking and demonstrating commitment to an organization, as well as how that can be converted into full time employment.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
When I first applied to attend college, I was the first in my family to go. Being a first-generation student meant I would need all the help I could get. Because of this, I applied to every support program available when applying to college.
When I applied to Sacramento State, I also applied to the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). Both programs accepted me. My first year at Sacramento State was spent learning the new campus and becoming familiar with being a college student as a first-generation student.
During my first year, I didn't focus much on applying for jobs or internships. Instead, I became very familiar with the services and resources available on campus. That first year was mostly about getting acquainted with the university.
My sophomore year, I took a big leap out of my comfort zone and applied for different student assistant positions on campus. I was able to land a student assistant position with the Cerna Center, which I did for about two years. I juggled a full-time student schedule with working part-time.
As I approached my final semester, I decided to move away from event planning and community serving from a distance. I wanted to focus more on one-on-one connections with students through appointments and meetings. So, I applied to be an instructional student assistant with the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at Sac State.
I helped facilitate a course, providing one-on-one support and check-ins. This role lasted about a summer and a semester because it was temporary. I knew I would need a new job after the semester ended. While managing my student assistant position, I was also looking for a second job.
During my final semester of undergrad, I walked back into the CAMP office. They offered me an opportunity to become a student assistant with them. I knew I would have to juggle two jobs and my final semester of college because I needed more experience on my resume for life after graduation.
I shared with the staff that I would be graduating a semester early. They worked very closely with me and were able to offer me a full-time job right after I finished my last final. I started working full-time with CAMP right after college and did that for about three and a half years.
This role was extremely rewarding. I loved checking in with students and having a small part in their college transition. Coming from the same background, having been a student myself, made it feel like a full-circle moment.
Recently, I took another leap out of my comfort zone and applied for a coordinator position on campus. I was able to obtain the position for the Cerna Center coordinator. After a couple of years, I am going back to where it all started for me, this time as a coordinator. I will be starting that position very soon. My previous college roles all started my sophomore year, and after that, I just took more opportunities, even if I felt scared.