The Waldron Student-Alumni Connections Program helps undergraduate students connect with alumni for career exploration and planning in a variety of ways:
Read about our program:
Programs include alumni panels, industry-specific discussions, podcasts, and more.
Watch Dave Revsine (WCAS '91) give his keynote address during the inaugural Weinberg College Career Summit.
Explore articles that articulate the value of a liberal arts education and networking.
Current students, alumni and faculty and staff can participate in the program.
Learn about the program and its events, and find resources.
Contact Cassie Petoskey, Director, the Waldron Student-Alumni Connections Program to learn more.
About Austin J. Waldron '78
Austin J. Waldron (’78) had planned to become a doctor. “It was the only thing I had ever thought of,” Waldron says. But by the end of his sophomore year, after a few pre-med classes, he realized that career path was not the right one for him. Like many students who pursue a particular major but later decide to change paths, Waldron engaged in a certain degree of soul-searching. “I thought, ‘What do I do now? What do I tell my parents and my grandparents?’”
Waldron ultimately decided to major in psychology and discovered a rewarding path that he never could have anticipated when he first arrived at Northwestern. He realized that myriad career options were open to him, and that the skills he had gained as an arts and sciences student prepared him to pursue any of them. In 2016, he retired after a 37-year career at HCSC, where he had risen to serve as senior vice president of operations.
“Operations is not a field you learn about in high school,” he notes with a laugh. But it turned out to be a perfect fit for Waldron, who enjoyed working in many different aspects of the organization, and appreciated the flexibility afforded by his arts and sciences degree.
Waldron wants today’s Weinberg College students to realize that they, too, can pursue many paths, regardless of the major they declare. “My goal is to encourage more students to realize that if their plans change, that’s OK,” he says. “With a liberal arts degree, you can always pivot to pursue a new path. The goal is to pursue something that you are going to be happy with.”
