New director of career services helps students finding their calling

By Chuck Gordon

Dr. Mary Jordan has known since she was in fourth grade that she wanted to work in the classroom, and she's done just that, serving as a high-school teacher and counselor and as a college professor during her 30-plus-year career.

Now, as Wingate's new director of career services, she gets to help college students discover where their futures lie.

Barely two weeks into her new role, Jordan has already had success steering students in the right direction. She's seen Wingate students who are at "every stage" - freshmen through seniors - including one sheepish sophomore who was slightly embarrassed about not knowing her preferred career path. Jordan reassured her that her situation was normal.

"She whispered to me: 'I don't have any idea what I want to do,'" Jordan says. "I said, 'That's nothing to be ashamed of. You did the right thing. You came to the right place.'"

Jordan comes to Wingate from Weddington High School, where she was a guidance counselor concentrating mostly on college admissions, and she's also been an adjunct or visiting professor at Johns Hopkins, New York University, George Mason and other universities, in addition to teaching in high school.

She's now shifting her focus to helping students find their vocational calling. For many students, the first step is Focus 2, a self-assessment program that helps them crystallize their interests and skills. Often, a university's career-services office is thought of primarily as the place to polish your resume, but Jordan says that Wingate's will help lead students to a deeper understanding of themselves and where they can best fit into the world.

It's part of Wingate's reimagining of career services as part of a broader "career pathways" focus at the University to respond to changes in the job market.

"We're not just resume writing," she says. "We're so much more. I really believe we're 'career access,' and that's what I want us to grow into. Yes, definitely, we will work on resumes with you. We're going to have a million and one workshops on it. But we are so much more than just resumes and cover letters."

Jordan employs six peer mentors, who, along with Jordan, meet with students to help them discover their strengths and tweak their resumes and LinkedIn profiles. They also talk through students' Focus 2 assessments and provide guidance regarding internships.

Jordan also leans on Mayra Rosales, associate director of career pathways operations, who handles much of the office's programming and data analysis. Rosales says the office uses five different technology platforms to help guide students, including an increased reliance on Handshake, a popular app for networking, mentorship and job hunting.

Jordan says her most important task initially is getting the word out to students that the office is ready to help them. Since the academic year began in mid-August, the Office of Career Services has seen about eight students per week. Jordan expects that rate to rise quickly; she's scheduled to meet with 23 students this week alone.

In October, Jordan will lead a series of student workshops covering resume writing, mock interviews, personal storytelling and pitching, along with a LinkedIn session that includes opportunities for professional headshots. Looking ahead to January, she will partner with alumni to launch the "Coffee and Careers Fireside Chat" series.

The creation of Jordan's role is part of a broader push to help students discover their career calling as early as possible during their college journey. Kacey Grantham joined the University in June as senior vice president of career pathways, joining Dr. Terese Lund, a psychology professor who became associate vice provost for purposeful pathways in January. Among other things, their roles are designed to strengthen ties with area businesses and to bolster experiential-learning opportunities for students.

"Mary's experience, energy and passion for this work are exactly what our students deserve in today's competitive job market," Grantham says. "Mary joins a talented team that's relentless about ensuring that our hardworking, resilient students graduate with the skills and connections they need to succeed. The momentum we're building is already producing strong results for students, and we're just getting started."

Jordan brings a lot of energy to her role."I do have a lot of ideas, and I love engaging with students," she says. "I love getting in front of panels and groups of parents and talking to them and highlighting the return on investment in sending their student to Wingate, because of the work that we're doing."

Learn moreabout career pathways at Wingate.

Sept. 28, 2025