The Beloit Companion / Short Guides for Families
They build a future that works for everyone. They’re inventive, entrepreneurial, and adept at seizing opportunities. They’ve mastered transformative skills and practices: effective communication, productive collaboration, creative problem-solving, and intellectual and professional agility. They make their own way—and they make space for others to flourish.
93% of a typical graduating class is employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation
63% of our graduates go on to get graduate or professional degrees
16,000 graduates in our global alumni network
We help students make connections between life at Beloit and life beyond Beloit. One major resource: Career Works, which helps students explore their interests while integrating what they learn in the classroom to prepare them for successful lives of purpose.
An interview with Jessica Fox-Wilson’98, Career Works Director
What do parents need to understand about today’s job market?
It’s not the job market you remember. Today’s market is all about professional agility. Can you adapt to new circumstances? Can you apply your skills in a new field? Can you pivot to a new job? If you graduate today, your first job will last one, two, maybe three years. And the best way to get a higher salary isn’t to negotiate with your boss—it’s to find a new opportunity.
How do you help students prepare for that?
The experience of Beloit is the experience of being agile and flexible. A lot of our students double major in fields that might seem very different. Our professors teach through multiple lenses, across multiple disciplines. We offer—and often fund—experiences that push students out of their comfort zones, from research to internships to service. We build programs like AMP and Channels, where students can make new connections and try new things—and sometimes fail!—while getting support from mentors.
How does your office fit into a liberal arts college?
Work is a profoundly important part of human identity. A college education should embrace that truth. At Beloit—in my office and everywhere on campus—we help students ask: What are my strengths, and how can I develop them? How can I apply my values? Where should I direct my passion? And we give students experiences that answer those questions. So my office is about far more than finding a job; it’s about finding a purpose and giving shape to your future.
We believe that college is the real world. So our students are ready for it when they graduate, because they’ve already been exploring it and making sense of it and working in it at Beloit.
What they did at Beloit, and what they’re doing now
Tyree Smith’19 majored in media studies, minored in journalism, played varsity football and ran track, and interned at Fox Sports in Los Angeles. A few weeks after graduating from Beloit, he began work as a sports anchor and reporter at ABC 10, WKUP/WBKP in Marquette, Michigan. He is now a multimedia journalist working for ESPN West Palm on WPTV.
Simone Rawal’20 majored in environmental geology, minored in computer science, interned at the World Wildlife Fund in Nepal, studied abroad at the University of Canterbury, and completed a thesis that examined how accelerated changes in land use and anthropogenic biomes affect carbon output. After graduation, she enrolled in a master’s program in resources, environment, and sustainability at the University of British Columbia.
Danny Corral’15 double majored in history and education and youth studies, was a member of the baseball team, and completed research as a McNair Scholar. After Beloit, he earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and became an assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
Rita Chang’18 majored in sociology, was a mentor at Community Action and a tutor at the Stateline Literacy Council, and held a range of on-campus jobs (student programmer, peer advisor, research assistant). She then became a civic engagement coordinator at the St. Louis Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America.
Gjergj Ndoci’20 majored in econometrics and quantitative economics, was president of Tau Kappa Epsilon, and completed internships in marketing, logistics, and corporate tax accounting. After graduation, he joined Hendricks Holdings in Chicago as an associate.
Shujie Xu’15 majored in business economics, minored in physics, was a member of the indoor and outdoor track teams, performed in the Chelonia Dance Show, and completed an honors term as an energy budget analyst for the Powerhouse. After Beloit, she completed a master’s in environmental science and policy at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago and became a forecasting data analyst at ICF in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Faviola Ramirez’20 double majored in health and society and Spanish, was a Resident Assistant, a president of Voces, and a programmer at the Health & Wellness Center. She was also head coordinator of the Beloit Public Health Initiative, a student-run nonprofit that works with local schools. She then earned a master’s in public health at the University of Minnesota, and is now an assistant principal at Carmen Middle School of Science and Technology in Milwaukee.
Henry Jacobsen’19 majored in business economics, played varsity football, and interned at accounting firms in Beloit and Atlanta. He works at Ernst & Young in Miami.
Dianne Lugo’19 majored in biology, minored in journalism, served as editor-in-chief of the Round Table (the student newspaper), and interned at Science magazine. She earned a paid internship at NPR’s Code Switch, in Culver City, California, and later joined the Statesman Journal in Salem, OR, as the Equity and Social Justice Reporter.
Our students join generations of fascinating, accomplished graduates who appreciate the value of Beloit. They don’t simply go to college—they join a community with lasting power.
A story about making connections—and finding work—in a pandemic
Our alumni network has always been a major resource for Beloiters. We call Beloit College’s mentor network the Power Grid, because it’s populated by alumni and supporters who have benefited from their connections with Beloiters. Through the Power Grid, alumni pay it forward.
In 2020, we gave seniors graduating in the midst of a global health and economic crisis something more: Beloiters Helping Beloiters. The ongoing program matches seniors with alumni, giving them a personal mentor and advocate. Read much more about Beloiters Helping Beloiters here.
In and out of the classroom, our faculty and staff help our students master four sets of skills, which we refer to as our integrated learning outcomes. Our graduates are effective communicators, productive collaborators, creative problem-solvers, and intellectually and professionally agile. In other words: They’re the people the world needs most.
Joe Davis’10 is the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, following in the footsteps of broadcasting legend Vin Scully. Fun fact: He was a star quarterback in high school and was recruited by Brown and Harvard. Read more about Joe here.
Marcail Distante’16 is a candidate for a Master of Human Rights at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. As the Community Outreach and Program Coordinator at the Binger Center for New Americans, she organizes legal clinics, expands community access to legal services, and builds partnerships with local organizations. She also teaches courses in citizenship and Spanish for local senior citizens. At Beloit she majored in international relations; studied abroad in Ecuador, where she volunteered at a local school; was an intern at both Global Exchange and the Stateline Literacy Council; and played lacrosse and soccer.
Aaron Nesser’11 co-founded AlgiKnit, an eco-fashion start-up that produces (and designs clothes and sneakers with) yarn made out of biopolymers from kelp. Since incorporating in 2017, the company has raised $5m in venture capital and employs 14 working out of Brooklyn. He recently moved into a position as the company’s CTO, developing AlgiKnit’s tech for the fashion and textile spaces. Read more about him here.
Karla Magana Figueroa’13 triple majored in economics and management, international relations, and Chinese, completed a funded internship at Atma in Mumbai, India, and conducted funded research in Beijing, China. After graduating, she worked as a consultant at both IBM and Ernst & Young, and then earned an MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School. She now works with JP Morgan Chase’s investment banking technology group.
Our graduates tend to think deeply about their experience—at Beloit and beyond. That’s part of what makes them great mentors to our current students.
Candid advice from Beloit graduates
“The world is full of complex problems. Beloit teaches you that you can find solutions—but you have to start by asking the right questions. And then you have to have the drive to dig for real insight.”
John Murphy’18; physics; UW-Madison MS in mechanical engineering; and Technical Support Specialist at Fairbanks Morse Defense.
“Beloit is a place where the learning is in the doing. You have to experiment. Dare to be wrong. Without risk, there’s no reward. I’m an artist who trusts myself and stands by my own work, and for that I thank my professors at Beloit.”
Maura Kidwell’04; theatre; television, film, and theatre actor and coach
“It’s OK to change your mind or change your major. What helped the most was talking to my professors and advisors. They helped me see my skills and areas of improvement, guided me every step of the way, and helped me achieve my goals.”
Junhao Zhao’19; Spanish, education and youth studies; Mandarin Chinese teacher, Middleton public schools, Middleton, Wisconsin
“College is about trial and error, making mistakes, finding things that make you happy, and finding out who you are. That’s exactly what Beloit allowed me to do. You’ll discover that the world is bigger than you thought, and you’ll become a better person.”
Kat Grzeszkiewicz’20; media studies; intern, Beloit Snappers
“First, take advantage of the flexibility Beloit offers in terms of classes, diversity of students, internationalism, and networking. Second, don’t let these opportunities take away from your health and happiness. Don’t push yourself to the point of burnout. The most valuable advice I got from a professor is this: If you want to make a difference in the world, you also need to take care of yourself.”
Mustafa Quadir’20; anthropology and biochemistry; associate scientist, cell and gene therapeutics, PPD, Madison, WI