n April 18, sophomores at Elizabethtown College are getting an extraordinary experience thanks to Career Services. Sophomore students will be able to meet professionals to shadow during a day dubbed Shadow Day  in a career that might interest them. Students have preregistered to take this trip to Washington, D.C. While in Washington, D.C., students will be able to get a more in-depth feel of what it is like to work in the career they would like to have.

This is the fourth annual Shadow Day Career Services has offered to students. Previous Shadow Days that Career Services coordinated were in Philadelphia, Harrisburg and the Hershey area. All four of the previous Shadow Days had a big impact on the students who have gone to these events, which is why Career Services set up another day this year.

Typically for this event, twenty students go to examine and see what it could be like to immerse themselves in a field where they may be in the near future. Transportation is provided for the students who attend the event. When asked why he chose to attend this year’s Shadow Day, sophomore Seth Previty explained, “I chose this event because I saw it as a great opportunity to see what the work force is like, especially in D.C. It was an opportunity I just could not pass up.”

The purpose of this event is to connect sophomores with an alumni of Etown in the areas that the students are interested in. Students sign up for the trip and indicate the areas of career choice that most interest them. Jane Nini, the director of Career Services, and Caitlin Koller, who works in the office of Alumni Relations, then go to work matching each student with a host in Washington D.C. Career Services had a networking event in March that had students practicing the networking skills that will help them during the Shadow Day.

“I believe this job shadow experience will be an extreme benefit to students, as it will take them out of their comfort zone and show them what their lives could look like in a few years,” Austin Whitlock, a sophomore communications student, said. Alumni were invited to the event as well to assist students in practicing introductions and interacting with the invited alums they will meet.

Some of the students hope to find what they are looking for or to expand their knowledge about what they could do once they graduate. “I am hoping to find out what path my shadow took to get into law and what he would suggest for me. I’d also like to see what the type of law firm he works at is like,” Previty said.

With this great opportunity, these students will be able to experience more of an in-depth feeling of what it is like to have a career in a certain field. With the alumni and other professional help this event will help many students understand life after college and in the real world.

Career Services holds this opportunity every year and they encourage more and more students to join the experience.