Gabrielle McDonald
Year: Junior
Hometown: Hampton, Va.
Major: Sociology and Political Science
Career goal: Work in social services for the federal government
Finding a career path
“Any opportunity for me to work in the community is a good thing. Volunteering has a lot of perks.”
“I found the University Career Center to be really helpful. It’s like a big wall of libraries and then on top of that, you can go and speak with a career center counselor who works within your major. Before I decided to change my major to sociology, they had a few tests I could take. I took two tests and was told ‘these are the areas you’re good at and these are the areas you’d probably enjoy working in.’
“I think a lot of people go past the Career Center and don’t take advantage of what’s there. Some freshmen and sophomores may not think they need to build a resume yet. I don’t think they realize how important it is to start early.”
Becoming a mentee
“I actually heard about the Graduate School Mentorship Program from a poster I saw, and it looked interesting. I’m working with a graduate student who’s getting his Ph.D. in psychology. He always has interesting information and tips about going through college. He has a different perspective than me, which I always enjoy hearing about.
“The requirement of the program is to meet for two hours every two weeks or one hour a week. We normally do the two-hour meetings and meet at Rodney’s in the Shafer Court Dining Center or the library. A couple of times we’ve gone to play tennis.”
Working in the community
“I was always the person who helped the little guy on the playground. If someone fell, I was always the first one to get the bandages. I think I’ve always been that type of person.
“I don’t like staying in the house too much so any opportunity for me to work in the community is a good thing. Volunteering has a lot of perks. You get to meet people, see things and get involved in different events.
“I joined the NAACP at VCU chapter a year ago. We have fed the homeless at Freedom House but we are probably best known on campus for the Soul Food Café. It’s a jazz, open mike night that has free soul food. We are also known for our Black History Month activities and by just getting out in the community and helping.”
