The Career Spark Awards recognize institutions excelling in three key areas: student engagement, employer engagement, and reporting and analytics. Menlo College earned recognition in the student engagement category for its outstanding efforts to connect students with meaningful career opportunities through initiatives like personalized career advising, workshops, and major events such as Career Connect Day and its award-winning Internship Program.
As part of Menlo Colleges commitment to career readiness, all business majors are required to complete at least one internship before graduation, providing real-world experience that sets them apart in the competitive job market. Career Connect Day, a hallmark event at Menlo College, unites students with alumni and industry leaders for career exploration and networking, culminating in a Career Fair where students connect directly with employers for internships and full-time positions.
We are thrilled to receive this honor from Handshake, said Jocylen Ashton, Executive Director of Internships & Career Services at Menlo College. This recognition reflects our commitment to equipping students with the tools they need for career successthrough hands-on internships, personalized advising, and strong partnerships with employers. Its a validation of our efforts to create a supportive and engaging environment for our students as they transition into the workforce.
Maria Mendoza, Associate Director of Employer Relations & Career Services, added, by leveraging Handshakes powerful marketing tools, weve not only amplified student engagement but also strengthened our relationships with employers. This award highlights how our strategic use of Handshake has created new opportunities for students and deepened connections with organizations eager to recruit them.
Handshake connects 75% of all U.S. college students with over 950,000 employers, serving as a critical bridge between students and potential career opportunities. This award underscores Menlo College’s leadership in student engagement and opens doors for future collaborations on thought leadership projects, speaking engagements, and new opportunities for enhancing career services.
For more information on Menlo Colleges Internships & Career Services, please visit www.menlo.edu/careerservices.
Media Inquiries
For media inquiries, please contact: pr ( @ ) menlo dot edu
About Menlo College
Menlo College is a small private, nonprofit college founded in 1927 with a mission to ignite potential and educate students to make meaningful contributions in the innovation economy. A residential college in the heart of Silicon Valley, Menlo College offers undergraduate degrees in business and psychology, and masters degrees in sport and performance psychology and information systems.
About Handshake
Handshakes mission is to democratize access to opportunity, and Handshake is the best place to start or accelerate a careerno connections, experience, or luck required. Our community includes 15 million+ students and young alumni from 1,500+ educational institutions, including four-year colleges, community colleges, boot camps, and 300+ minority-serving institutions. We connect emerging talent with 950K+ employersfrom Fortune 500 companies to thousands of public school districts, healthcare systems, nonprofits, and more. Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Denver, New York, London, and Berlin and teammates working globally.
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