PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMMING

Student wearing glasses, standing in an open floorplan office setting, smiling and carrying a notebook in left arm.

KEY PROGRAMMING

The Matthews Center is dedicated to encouraging every student to participate in immersive educational experiences. Experiential learning allows students to connect their academic work with direct experience and provides the opportunity to apply problem-solving, critical-thinking, and communication skills in industry settings.

141 workshops and presentations offered for professional development

133 checked in students at Training the Street workshops concentrating on financial modeling, financial statement analysis, corporate valuation, and technical interview preparation

Davidson on Wall Street

In March, 10 students attended the fifth annual Davidson on Wall Street career trek to experience a firsthand look at some of the country’s top names in financial services. This year the program resumed its in person format after last year’s virtual trek. In addition to visiting six firms, students were able to explore New York City and attend a networking event with local Davidson alumni. Several of the 2022 participants have already secured summer 2023 internships with firms such as Bank of America, Wells Fargo, East Rock Capital, and Goldman Sachs.

Organizations visited included: BlackRock, Credit Suisse, Arabella Advisors, RF Investment Partners, East Rock Capital, and Training the Street.

A group of eleven Davidson College students, all wearing processional clothing and face masks stand in front of a beige wall, behind office desks at a office in New York City.

Summer Internship Grants

Summer 2021 continued to experience economic uncertainty and Covid-19 concerns. Thanks to the flexibility of our internship fund donors, we were able to expand the parameters of our grant programming to include other types of summer professional engagements, outside of internships and research, making it possible for Davidson students to still pursue an enriching summer experience.

$3,357 average grant amount

$231,700 awarded to students to facilitate low-paying and unpaid summer internship, research experiences, and career related certifications and programs for Summer 2022.

80 eligible applicants

89% of applicants funded through 25 available grants

8 committee members across multiple campus departments reviewed and scored applications

Fall 2021 Virtual Law School Fair

In November, Davidson College co-hosted the virtual law school and graduate school fairs, in conjunction with North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina-Wilmington and Wake Forest University. Both events afforded students and alumni the opportunity to learn about law schools and graduate programs of multiple disciplines. Admission representatives from over 170 law, graduate and professional schools attended the fairs and over 80 Davidson students and alumni utilized the opportunity to learn about programs of interest.

Prelaw Advising & Programming

Prelaw Advisor, Kelli Robinson held over 180 appointments with students and alums to discuss their interests in and preparation for law school. Students also attended law-focused programs, both virtual and in-person, discussing topics that included undergraduate preparation for law school (first and second year students), previewing the application process (juniors, seniors and alums), and a virtual session presented by the Law School Admissions Council. The Davidson College Prelaw Society also hosted events designed to help members and Davidson students learn about law school and the law profession. A Law School Mock Admissions Panel was hosted by various law school admission representatives and Davidson alums offered perspectives in the Jobs in Law and What to Expect in Law School programs.

Line of College students wearing professional attire, checking in at a table in the Alvarez College Union for the Charlotte Law School Fair.

Eight Matthews Center employees wearing matching teal t-shirts, standing outside on brick pavers in front of the brick Alvarez College Union building on campus with a very large balloon arch behind them and silver balloons spelling out "RESUMANIA"

Secure the Bag: Resumania

In October, we hosted our first ever #Resumania, an event designed to prepare students for upcoming applications through resume reviews and elevate their individual brands with professional headshots. Advisers were stationed in the Alvarez College Student Union Atrium from 10am-6pm offering 15-minute resume review appointments. Students were able to pre-register for a time slot or drop-in. We also offered two 30-minute resume workshops to assist students in learning the basic resume formatting principles and transitioning from a high school resume and/or creating a professional resume. Davidson College student photographers were on site offering professional headshots. The event was a huge success, over 150 students attended.

Charlotte Network Night

Thanks to the generous support of Steven Shores ‘94, in March, we had the opportunity to host our first IN-PERSON Charlotte Network Night event. After 2 years of successful virtual, industry focused events, a group of Davidson College students traveled to The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery to meet with local Charlotte alums. Over 20 students from the Women's Field Hockey Team and mentoring groups, HD: Mentorship that Hits Different and Msaada Mentorship Program connected with over 20 Davidson alums.

"The Charlotte Network Night was an amazing opportunity to meet Davidson alumni not only in my field of interest, but also learning about the large variety of fields Wildcats work and make meaningful impacts in. I haven't had many opportunities to connect with alumni due to the pandemic and I'm glad I was able to have this experience thanks to Msaada." - Caro Djakuduel '23

Davidson College student smiling wearing a vertical striped top, standing in front of beige wall.

Group of four college students (interns) smiling, wearing professional attire, standing on steps outside in front of Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

Davidson in Washington

40 students participated in the eight week program that took Davidson students to Washington DC to complete one of two seminars and professional experience (Internship, career networking meetings, etc.).

Davidson College student standing in front of and pointing to a whiteboard in a classroom setting. A bookshelf and filing cabinets are against the wall in the classroom.

Davidson in East Asia

10 students traveled to East Asia for the East Asia Internship Program. These students gained experiences learning about East Asia culture while delving into organizations spanning across various industries including but not limited to law, education, scientific research, and technology.

First Generation Senior Pinning Ceremony

In partnership with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and Office of Alumni and Family Engagement, we hosted our Inaugural First Things First Pinning Ceremony to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of Davidson’s 51 first-generation graduating seniors. First-generation alumni, faculty, and staff members participated in the ceremony presenting each student with a pin and certificate. A reception was held following the ceremony.