Preparing Tomorrow’s Business Leaders: Confidence, Clarity, and Real‑World Readiness

Transitioning from college to a professional career is one of the most exciting and uncertain moments in a student’s life. To support students through this pivotal stage, the Gonzaga University School of Business Administration offers Campus to Career, a course designed to bridge the gap between academic life and the professional world. Taught by Executives in Residence Ed Reese and Jabez LeBret, the class provides students with the rare opportunity to learn directly from industry professionals who work daily with clients and employers.

Because Ed and Jabez remain immersed in real business environments, they bring current industry expectations, hiring trends, and firsthand insights into the classroom. They also use their professional networks to connect students with informational interviews and sometimes even job opportunities.

A Class That Makes the Transition Real, Honest, and Human

One of the most impactful parts of Campus to Career course is that it focuses on the real emotional and professional challenges students face. Many college seniors are expected to make major career decisions without ever having deep exposure to their chosen industry. This course changes that.

Students explore a wide range of topics, including:

• The variety of career paths available
• What day to day work in different roles actually looks like
• The skills and portfolio materials employers expect
• Ways to reduce the stress and anxiety of life after graduation

Throughout the semester, students openly discuss the fears and uncertainties that come with stepping into the professional world. As the course progresses, that anxiety steadily transforms into something new, confidence.

By the end of the class, many of the students go from nervous to “I’ve got this!”

Building Portfolios, Case Studies, and Real Experience

Employers today want proof of capability. They want to see real work before making a hire.

Campus to Career helps students accomplish exactly that by guiding them to create:

• Tailored resumes and professional portfolios
• Case studies showing strategic thinking
• Real-world projects that strengthen their resumes
• A professional presence suited to their chosen field

This personalized, hands-on support gives students the tangible work samples they need to stand out.

Opening Doors Through Professional Connections

Thanks to their active roles in the business community, Ed and Jabez connect students with meaningful professional relationships. These informational interviews often spark momentum and in some cases, open the door to job prospects.

Recent student experiences include:

• One student, who dreamed of working for Brooks Running, had an informational interview with the company’s Art Director.
• Another student, hoping to move to California after graduation, was introduced to a Gonzaga alum on the Williams Sonoma marketing team and was encouraged to apply for a role there.

These connections provide clarity, direction, and opportunities many students would not otherwise have.

Conversations That Shape a Future

While the course builds career readiness, it also creates space for deeper conversations about purpose, fulfillment, and professional identity. Students explore topics such as:

• Agency work compared to in-house roles
• What meaningful work looks like
• How to set personal boundaries and non-negotiables
• Career paths that align with long-term values

These reflective discussions often become some of the most valuable parts of the class. Many students leave with a clearer sense of self and what they want out of life after college.

Paige’s Story: A Student Perspective

Paige describes the course as a space where cura personalis and magis were lived out daily. Ed and Jabez invested in students as individuals, reviewing portfolios, teaching networking skills, connecting them with industry professionals, and offering support through moments of uncertainty.

When Paige struggled with questions about purpose and direction, her instructors noticed. They went beyond the classroom and connected her with another professor who could offer additional insight.

“This class did not just prepare me for a job,” Paige says. “It helped me understand my values and the kind of impact I want to have.”

A Classroom That Becomes a Launchpad

Campus to Career represents the Gonzaga School of Business commitment to preparing students not just academically, but personally and professionally. Through mentorship, honest conversation, real-world connections, and deep self-reflection, students leave the course ready to step forward with clarity and confidence.

For many, it becomes a turning point the moment when the future stops feeling uncertain and starts feeling full of possibility.