Making a Difference for Students Pursuing Careers
Elena Hines
College of Arts and Sciences staff writer
“I believe the person in front of me has purpose and value,” Karen Steeno said of how she treats the students who come to her for advice about the world of work in her role as career development specialist/liaison to the College of Arts and Sciences.
Her peers also see her value, and they selected her as one of the Make a Difference Award recipients in the fall round of the semi-annual award that recognizes Western Michigan University staff members for their outstanding accomplishments and daily investment of energy and creativity.
The employee of 19 months also describes herself as super-enthusiastic, one who enjoys doing research, seeing trends, trying new things and figuring out where her niche is.
The Big Rapids native’s career path involved sales, non-profit work and getting a master’s degree in counseling psychology.
She learned that “I like to talk to people about what they do well,” and from then, followed an intentional track that led her to Western.
Her role includes doing career fairs, workshops, classroom presentations and more, as well as drop-in advising to help students figure out who they are and articulate their best skills.
She appreciates the variety in her job, which one day can involve advising six or seven young people, and another can involve committee meetings or workshops.
Her favorite moment is when one of her students finds an opportunity and uses what the pair discussed to land the job or internship.
She herself is grateful for the position she landed, and colleagues who are open to collaboration and sending students to her.
“It’s such a beautiful thing to have joy in your workplace,” she said. “It’s an amazing privilege to love my work, and hopefully help others to love theirs.”
Her nominators were effusive in their praise, with this just a sampling of the comments:
“Over the past year Karen has developed relationships with the College of Arts and Sciences with the intention of building up our liberal arts students but, recognizing a need she went one step further and developed special relationships with many departments within the college as well. Upon meeting with me she volunteered her time to help me understand the value of my students in particular. She also helped me to develop my own skills passing that message along to students. Her kind, positive and cheerful demeanor has helped so many of my students and even myself to have a renewed sense of hope if ever we lose it. Students who meet with Karen always leave their meeting a smile and always have nothing but positive things to say about her. Through conversations with her about the career readiness of our students she suggested solutions to reducing the anxiety our seniors felt just before graduation. [She] provides excellent customer service to her students and her colleagues, she promotes a positive image of Western Michigan University both here and off campus, and she doesn’t just bleed brown and gold but also positivity, encouragement and hope as well!”