Eagle Path is a guided approach to supervision to help undergraduate student workers reflect upon, recognize, develop, and articulate their career aspirations. Through intentional and on-going conversations with supervisors, students can better connect academic and co-curricular experiences with the skills they are gaining in their student employment role. Guided by the nine essential professional competencies expected of new college graduates, Eagle Path helps students translate skills they are learning in work study jobs to the world of work after graduation.
The Eagle Path program began as an initiative within the Division of Student Affairs and has since expanded to other areas on campus.
To learn more about Eagle Path (and if it might be a fit for your area),
contact eaglepath@bc.edu
How Does it Work?
Eagle Path involves supervisors and students having brief, intentional conversations each semester.
Each semester, supervisors are asked to have two conversations with student employees to discuss goals & reflect on progress towards the competencies most relevant to their work
At the end of the spring semester, supervisors are asked to complete an online "End of the Year" report to document their students' progress and participation in the Eagle Path program. The report can be found here.
- Guide student employees through the process of discerning their interests, skills, and values and how those relate to potential careers.
- Identify opportunities to help students reflect, recognize, develop, and articulate the competencies they are gaining.
- Help students identify which competencies they are developing and create a plan to further develop the competencies that are highly valued by employers.
- A way to advance equity & access by elevating work study to quasi-internship status for those students who do not have time to leave campus for internships.
Eagle Path Supervisor Resources
Please use this workbook as a guide with student employees as they complete the Eagle Path program.
Sample Guiding Questions:
- What are you learning in this job that is helping you in your academics?
- What are you learning in class that you can apply here are work?
- Looking at the list of competencies, can you share two examples of skills you are developing in this job that you think you will use in your chosen profession?
- Looking at the list of competencies, which do you feel are your areas of strength? Which do you want to further develop? Which do you most enjoy using?
Annual Training Events
Eagle Path Supervisor Training
New to Eagle Path or interested in a refresher? We will be presenting an overview of the Eagle Path program and reviewing the Eagle Path Workbook for any supervisor interested in learning more. We will also review the general Eagle Path timeline and answer any questions you might have. We would be grateful if department heads would give time for Supervisors to attend. Please email eaglepath@bc.edu to get an invite to the next training.
For a recording of the last Eagle Path Supervisor Training, please email eaglepath@bc.edu, requesting a copy.
New Student Employee Orientation
Please encourage your students to attend! This session is designed to provide an overview of Eagle Path to any student employee who is new to the program. We’ll discuss the goals of the program and introduce the workbook. If this is not during your student workers’ scheduled work hours, Human Resources allows students who attend this session to be paid for this hour. Please email eaglepath@bc.edu to get an invite to the next training.
For a recording of the last New Student Employee Orientation, please email eaglepath@bc.edu, requesting a copy.
Eagle Path Advisory Board Meeting
This session is designed for Eagle Path supervisors to check in with the Eagle Path Steering Committee to discuss how Eagle Path is working in your department. This will be a time for supervisors to share opportunities and discuss ideas for future Eagle Path trainings, suggest ways Eagle Path can better support supervisors and students and potentially identify additional resources that may be helpful to both supervisors and students, and gather feedback about the new student workbooks. Lunch will be provided.
Please email eaglepath@bc.edu if you are interested in joining the Eagle Path Advisory Board.
Career competencies: the skills employers seek most
Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization both in writing and orally.
Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.
Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.
Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.
With an eye toward justice, continually reflect on what the world needs you to be. Apply your unique talents and skills gained while at Boston College to help address the world's most urgent problems.
Eagle Path Testimonials
Supervisor Quote
“"Eagle Path provides me with the opportunity to meet and chat with my students regularly. I find the students are so eager to share experiences. They understand how important it is to be “Career Ready” and that we’re here to support them."”
Meet some Eagle Path participants
