Promoting First-Gen Career Success

For years, a cornerstone of Bentley’s student support services has been the Pulsifer Career Development Center, which regularly ranks among the top five best career services offices in the country by Princeton Review. Each semester, the dedicated center staff help students navigate internship opportunities, host undergraduate and graduate career fairs and provide resources covering topics ranging from how to dress for an interview to best practices for standing out on LinkedIn.

For close to 30 years, Kristine Vidic has played an integral role in supporting career development efforts on campus, where she has built close relationships with students to help them launch successful careers no matter the field or industry. Building on her years of experience, Vidic has recently taken on a new role within the career development center as senior associate director and career equity and access specialist to support an expanding demographic of Bentley students — first-generation students.

“The demographics of students are changing, and that’s the same for Bentley,” said Vidic. “In the spring, President Chrite spoke about the importance of developing an ecosystem of wrap-around services for first-generation students. He shared that it was crucial to ensure that every student admitted to Bentley not only succeeds but thrives.” To answer the call for this first-gen support system, the career development center designated a new position focusing on career equity and access, with Vidic—a first-gen college student herself—stepping into the role.

First-generation students make up an impressive 25% of the total incoming Class of 2026 at Bentley, and Vidic envisions career support that begins before students arrive and carries them through their transition to alumni. Before students arrived on campus this fall, Vidic partnered with Student Affairs and Academic Affairs on a webinar for incoming students and their parents to talk about the support systems that are available on campus specific to first-generation students, including those related to career development.

Vidic asserts that these early efforts lay the foundation for students to think about their goals, skills and the paths they can choose from. “It's all about giving students the faith to really ideate and think about what they want their life to be,” she explained. “Most students think there's only one way and one journey that you can take, and that's not true. We really try to get them to think about designing their own path early on.” 

As accepted students matriculate and become part of the Falcon Family, opportunities continue for this kind of looking inward to move onward. Formerly a series of workshops, Vidic’s Career Design 201 is now a course that helps students develop the tools to design their own career roadmaps and think more intentionally about their career goals. “What that’s done is help students see their career development as part of their growth while they’re in college, and not as an outside service that they need to do. We’re embedded in the curriculum and I really think that’s why we’re so highly ranked,” said Vidic. 

Vidic's passion for helping others find meaningful and rewarding careers extends beyond her students at Bentley. Through her work as a board member for the nonprofit Debbie’s Treasure Chest, she co-created the Altman Career Development Program, an eight-week program designed to provide career navigation and career readiness options to at-risk teens and young adults involved in the legal court system. Completion of the program, in which participants work with Vidic to build career literacy and self-awareness by engaging with speakers from a variety of professions and backgrounds, counts toward community service requirements. Vidic also works with Methuen Arlington Neighborhood, Inc., to help teens explore their own career aspirations based on their strengths and interests. 

Her work with these two organizations and on campus with Bentley students has impacted countless lives, including her own. “I know a lot of people say this, but I absolutely love working with our students,” reflects Vidic. “It's the best part of my job, because every student I meet with is really different and unique, and I love working with them to develop their strengths and interests. They become really passionate about what they want to do, and they're really focused on how they want to change the world. That’s extremely rewarding.”