Maggie Joyce ’27, biology and media studies major with a Spanish minor spent a month with twenty other students and faculty observing hummingbird song patterns at the Coe Wilderness Station in the Boundary Waters. Maggie split her time between checking feeders at 4 a.m., analyzing nectar concentration, and becoming attuned to particular birdsong without the distractions of an urban environment. Maggie could focus on research instead of her budget because tuition and travel expenses were covered as a result of her Common Grant award.

Career Works provides a variety of career ready resources and skill building opportunities. In 2025 the Beloit College Common Grant funded 35 experiences through its application process. Applicants were already adept at making lists of what they had: technical skills learned in class, data sets, feedback, goals, animal characteristics, alumni connections, ways to make a difference. They reached out to Career Works because their goals for a summer experience included things they weren’t sure how to list and added unseen barriers and costs when students prioritize research and nonprofit experiences. The Common Grant application questions are a first step, helping students reflect on what they have done and meaningfully articulate and connect their experiences in a compelling way for the review committees to read.

“These articulation skills are helpful to have when they write cover letters and interview for opportunities,” says Emily Sager, Assistant Director of Career Works. “Additionally, most students have not had to create a budget for rent and the cost of food, for example, so I get to teach them budgeting skills that they will use in their personal life beyond the grant.”

Sristi Halder ’26, quantitative economics and data analytics major, received internship recommendations and support building her professional profile from Sager and her professors, Sristi’s participation was noticed by her internship’s coordinator who was pleased to have someone from the liberal arts, noting that students from small colleges shy away from applying to programs like University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School’s Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research (SUMR) program.

Sristi’s advice to her fellow student-researchers, “Our campus has amazing resources. Utilize the resources. Research is an underpaid sector so the grant really made the difference to take on the opportunity. I was able to choose research over other opportunities.”

The Common Grant is a key resource for students to turn academic theories into working ideas while building professional skills, and MukhammadAli Shavkatov ’26 knew this from his experience the previous summer. For his most recent application, MukhammadAli intentionally chose Project Destined because it provided the initial support MukhammadAli needed to get connected to opportunities in real estate, entrepreneurship, and finance. Career Works supported MukhammadAli both in preparing his resume for the internships and submitting the application for the Common Grant. For MukhammadAli, an international student, adding a summer internship meant an added cost, registering for a summer course. MukhammadAli, a quantitative economics major and finance minor, successfully interned at Northmarq in Dallas, TX, focusing on expanding his commercial real estate finance knowledge because the Common Grant helped pay for the summer class as well as lodging, food, and transportation.

As a rotational intern, MukhammadAli worked on different teams every week: debt and equity, asset management, closing and debt production, and each had special projects. The experience from start to finish elevated the importance of partnerships and networks, both to improve individual skills and complete the work.

MukhammadAli widened the community of professionals to which he belongs and from whom he can continue to learn. Back on campus in the fall, MukhammadAli co-facilitated a workshop for fellow business students about finding internships and building resumes, paying forward the support he received.

Hitali Kothari ’26, quantitative economics major with a minor in mathematics and finance, learned the power of that feeling when someone notices you and helps you meet your goals. Hitali interned in the lending department for WomenVenture, a Minneapolis firm that specializes in helping women with microcredit loans and wraparound services. This internship was Hitali’s first experience with social impact finance. “It’s hard to break into the market. I realized that people have different starting points, especially women, depending on their education or family support.” Hitali also had a different starting point, Beloit, WI, which made the Common Grant resources necessary to cover the cost of her commute to and from Minneapolis. Hitali’s advice to fellow students is the same as her advice to the women she helped throughout the summer, “If you’re applying to jobs and internships that may not cover what you need and that’s the reason you’re not doing it, then you can.” She celebrates her mentors at Beloit College, Emily Sager, Kevin Smith, and Diep Phan.

“The most meaningful aspect of being part of the grant process for me is hearing students report back on what they learned, how much they grew personally and professionally from the experience, and how excited they are to take the next steps in their career journey. All of which, they indicate, would not have been possible without the funding they received,” says Emily.

When students develop and tell the story of what they can do and why, employers and graduate programs take notice, and so do other students. This is the uncommon impact of the Common Grant: asking why instead of why not.