If you had told freshman year Anna that only a few weeks stood between her and “real life,” I can guarantee she would have been spiraling. But as I reflect on these last four years, with the end of my college career quickly approaching, I can confidently say that I feel ready to take on what’s next—and I can’t help but attribute a big part of that to my job here.
I’ve learned so much from working as a communications assistant and career ambassador at Central Career Services. When I started as a second-semester freshman, my work primarily consisted of various administrative tasks, including running the front desk, logging inventory, preparing for and checking students into events through Handshake, collecting mail, and managing internal and external communications via phone, email, and Microsoft Teams.
As the weeks went on, I was quickly entrusted with more responsibility. Staff members started seeking my student perspective on projects, leading to regular, dynamic workshopping sessions. I began designing promotional materials via Canva, organizing data and client information in Excel, and creating and posting innovative content on our office’s Instagram. Following several training sessions, I began leading weekly meetings with students, offering personalized feedback on their resumes and guiding them through tailored professional development strategies.
My work within the office—specially managing our social media—led to the exciting opportunity to do a Takeover for the official Syracuse University Instagram, where I highlighted the work of Central Career Services. This experience opened the door to additional collaborations with the University’s official social media team, including a second Instagram takeover, a YouTube video, an Instagram Reel, and a YouTube short—all promoting the office.
Although I am grateful that working here has enabled me to sharpen a variety of transferable skills, it has been so much more than just a federal work-study job. The team immediately welcomed me into a family, and the office became my second home. Words can hardly express how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to meet every staff member here, both past and present, and for all they’ve done for me. I’d like to extend a huge thank you to each and every one of you—to Lisette for gifting me half her closet, to Chris for making me laugh, to Erin for brightening my day by bringing in Ernie, to Dan for always checking in, to Adam for eagerly connecting me with employers, to Alyssa for her infectious energy, to Lindsay for her flexibility, to Isabella for supporting me like a big sister, to Kate for helping me through my anxiety and being the best book editor ever, and to Melissa for always advocating for me and being the number one work mom in the world. And, of course, I’m grateful to them all for their professional support and guidance as I navigated the challenges of feelings behind for most of my time at Syracuse.
Working at Central Career Services has truly impacted my life—both personally and professionally. I can’t help but get a bit emotional when I reflect on how much I’ve grown over these last four years and how much the people in this office have supported me every step of the way—from a nervous freshman just finding her footing to a confident senior ready to leave her mark on the world.
Anna Salewycz serves as a Front Desk Student Employee, providing administrative support to the Central Career Services team at Syracuse University. Anna is a senior studying Broadcast & Digital Journalism.
In her spare time, Anna enjoys singing, traveling, skiing, and volunteering in her Ukrainian community. She also loves writing creatively and devotes a lot of her time to getting her debut novel, “From A to Z,” published.
