Career development at ACU goes far beyond resume tips and LinkedIn best practices. Faculty, staff and alumni form a network of support for students that extends from their first course to their career launch.
For Kyla Karleskint, associate director of career development at ACU, witnessing students’ progression is the most rewarding part of the job.
“I love watching the students throughout their career journey,” she says, “seeing them come in as freshmen and work on their first-year items and then seeing them walk into the career fair with their suits on and engage with those employers and then watching that translate into full-time work.”
Holistic Career Development
Everyone on campus has a role to play in helping students achieve their career goals. Offices like Academic Advising & Career Development and the Center for Experiential Learning partner with “career champions” in academic departments to provide skill- and character-building experiences.
Custom departmental roadmaps guide students through career development activities, such as internships and research, throughout their degree plan.
In first-semester Cornerstone classes, students explore the idea of calling and vocation from the perspectives of different disciplines. They discover their unique combination of interests and skills with the guidance of faculty and peer mentors.
Through departmental service-learning projects, students directly practice career-essential skills. Agricultural and environmental sciences majors build vertical gardens in Nicaragua. Business majors partner with students in Ghana to explore community-enhancing start-ups.
Students even have the ability to combine Study Abroad and an internship in the international nonprofit sector through ACU’s program in Leipzig, Germany.
By applying classroom knowledge to real-world problems and engaging in collaborative, intercultural projects, students develop the 21st-century skills employers are looking for.
Outcomes Focused
The Career Development office helps students synthesize and reflect on their experiences and provides guidance on communicating the skills they’ve developed to future employers.
Karleskint and her team confidently connect students with an enthusiastic network of Wildcat alumni and other industry contacts through career fairs, internships and a custom employer directory.
To ensure that tangible outcomes remain a focus, the career development team administers the NACE First Destination Survey each year. In 2025, 92% of ACU undergraduate students were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months.
With all of this intentional preparation, it’s no wonder that Karleskint’s parting advice to graduating students is full of encouragement: “You have everything within you to do it. You are prepared. Go in peace and confidence.”
– Kayla Hewitt
April 20, 2025