Virtual January Term Sessions

All virtual sessions are free.

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Search all virtual J-Term sessions by date and time on Engage

J-Term 2026: Getting Started In …

How do you get your first job? Succeed in that job? Build skills and grow your network in the industry? Move to your second job? For young professionals, these skills are dynamic and often industry specific. This J-Term, the Gettysburg College BOLD Council—young alumni who volunteer to support current Gettysburg students—will offer a series of sessions to address these questions in various industries. Each session will feature a panel of young Gettysburg alumni who have successfully broken into these fields and are eager to share with Gettysburg students. And after each session, attendees will receive contact information to network with the presenters—as well as an invitation to an exclusive on-campus, in-person networking session this April.

Getting Started in Communications, Marketing

Wednesday, January 7 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Moderator: Elizabeth Hilfrank ‘18, Marketing Director, Glasswing Ventures 

Panelists: Phoebe Doscher ‘22, Marketing Copywriter, Brown University
Kasey Varner ‘14, Senior Manager, Public Relations & Communications, 160over90, Lindsey Hammond ‘22, Senior Social Media & Influencer Marketing Specialist, ZapWater Communications

Register for Getting Started in Communications, Marketing by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Getting Started in Sales

Thursday, January 15 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Moderator: Anna Baitel ‘23, Sales Planner, Roku

Panelists: Hailey Schendel ‘23, Account Executive, MSE Finance, Gartner,  Taylor Maloney ‘19, Account Executive, MidMarket, Ramp, Sydney Quan ‘22, Mid-Market Sales Executive, Aetna

Register for Getting Started in Sales by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Getting Started in Finance

Wednesday, January 14 at 6:00 p.m. ET

Moderator: Philippa Lumsden, Financial Advisor/Financial Planning Specialist, Morgan Stanley

Panelists: Claire Martin ‘17, Lead Financial Analyst, Co-Star Group (clairemartin864@gmail.com)
David Parella ‘24, Client Associate, UBS (dparella11@gmail.com)

Register for Getting Started in Finance by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Getting Started in Higher Ed

Tuesday, January 6 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Moderator: Colleen Kolb ‘17, Associate Director for Global Education, Hobart & William Smith Colleges

Panelists: Andrea Zaleski ‘15, Director of Audience Engagement, University of Pennsylvania Admissions
Nate Cody ‘17, Associate Director, Undergraduate Career Development, Columbia University
Cameron Sauers ‘21, Robinson Fellow in American History, Penn State University

Register for Getting Started in Higher Ed by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Getting Started in Law—Even If Not (Immediately) As a Lawyer

Sunday, January 11 at 4:00 p.m. ET

Moderator: Sarah Walker ‘19, Committee Legal Counsel, Massachusetts House of Representatives

Panelist: Erica Paul ‘18, Paul Weiss

Register for Getting Started in Law—Even If Not (Immediately) As a Lawyer by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Getting Started in the Medical Field

Monday, January 12 at 6:00 p.m. ET

Moderator: Lily Melink ‘22, M.D. Candidate, Marshall University School of Medicine

Panelists: David Medina ‘21, Sales Representative, Stryker Foot and Ankle Division
Taylor Bury ‘16, General Dentist/Partner, Belmont Dental
Caitlin Yap ‘22, Sports Physical Therapy Resident, Houston Methodist

Register for Getting Started in Medical Field by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Getting Started in the Public Policy

Tuesday, January 13 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Moderator: Camille Traczek ‘22, Deputy Policy Director, Pennsylvania Dep’t of Education

Panelists: Piper O’Keefe ‘17, International Relations Specialist, US Department of Energy
Pat McKenna ‘20, Chief of Staff, Climate Leadership Council
Caroline Heckman ‘21, Senior Manager, US Chamber of Commerce

Register for Getting Started in Public Policy by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

AI Ethics for Humans

With growing use of Artificial Intelligence has also come a growing understanding that these tools come with a host of potential issues, including

• What materials are they trained on, and what do they exclude?
• Who owns the materials scanned by them and are they compensated?
• What is their environmental impact in terms of electric and water use, noise pollution and ewaste?
• How are AI companies using the materials uploaded to them?
• How do they affect learning (and cheating) in schools?

This session will cover some of the basics of different moral frameworks and how those might apply (and differ) for various uses of and problems with AI. We may not have answers but hopefully you will leave thinking about how you want to use AI in your own life.

January 9 | 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. EST | Session Capped at 20

Presenters: Steve Gimbel and Eric Remy

Register for AI Ethics for Humans by Noon on January 2nd

Communications Across Cultures

The presenters will help participants explore intercultural communication theories and practices through a series of interactive activities. Come to this session if you would like to think more deeply about the nuances of communicating with people from different cultures. You will leave this session with practical skills to guide you in your next intercultural conversation.

Learning Outcomes

• Learn common intercultural communication models
• Develop a sense of your personal intercultural communication style
• Understand how to recognize and navigate different intercultural communication styles

January 13 | 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. EST | Session Attendance Not Capped

Presenters: Brad Lancaster

Bekah Hurwitz

Register for Communications Across Cultures by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Do Pay Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain: Understanding how AI works

Pretty much everyone has used Large Language Models like ChatGPT and Claude, but there’s a lot going on behind the scenes that you might want to understand.

• What is a training set, how is it generated and what does it include (and exclude)?
• Are LLMs “stochastic parrots” that can only repeat what they’ve been trained on or can they generalize beyond that?
• What do we mean by hallucinations and why do they affect LLMs?
• What is a system prompt and how does it affect the responses you get?
• What is model collapse and how will it affect future LLMs?

This session aims to demystify some of the “black box” nature of LLMs and give you a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.

Learning Outcomes

• Better understand how LLMs work
• Understand what can/can’t they do well
• Learn to customize the responses for your work

January 13 | 2 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. EST | Session Attendance Not Capped

Presenter: Eric Remy

Presenter Bio: Shortly after Dr. Remy finished his degree in chemistry, Chemical and Engineering News published an article about a radical new idea: virtual office hours where students could type a question into a text box on something called the World Wide Web and a TA could answer it later on a web page. Almost 30 years later he still works in what is now called educational technology, helping people with innovative teaching methods.

Register for Do Pay Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain: Understanding how AI works

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Excel Like a Pro

While most Gettysburg students have previously used Microsoft Excel, many are only scratching the surface of its capabilities. In this session, you will learn how to get the very most out of the software and learn to use it like a true pro! Participants will explore intermediate-level features and tools in Excel that can help create, process, analyze, and calculate complex business data.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Recognize and create proper spreadsheet design.
• Understand spreadsheet formulas, pivot tables, graphics, smart art, and add-ins.
• Leverage Excel as a tool to convey and organize your information and data.
   

January 6 | 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. EST | Session Attendance Not Capped

Presenter: Tom Franza, Director of Infrastructure and Computing

Register for Excel Like a Pro by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Key Financial Habits for Your Future

This session will provide participants an overview of personal financial management strategies centered around promoting sound, long-term financial behaviors. Budgeting, saving, and investing concepts will be the focus of this 60-minute session.

January 15 | 1 PM to 2 PM

Presenter: Mark P. Bernier, CFA, Senior Vice President
Wealth Management Officer
ACNB Bank

Register for Key Financial Habits for Your Future by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Know Your Audience: Tips for Writing Competitive Grant Proposals

In this session, Dawn Helsing Wolters, Director of College Grants, will share her years of experience reading and writing grant applications with students who hope to write their own successful grant. This session will be of particular interest to students intending to apply for one of the four summer grant opportunities offered by the Center for Public Service.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• Learn about the four primary components of a strong grant proposal: the need, objectives, work plan, budget
• Understand how to develop proposals that prioritize and reflect the funder’s perspective and priorities
• Consider how to identify tangible results of their proposed work and the role that this plays in a funder’s review process
• Be prepared to write a competitive proposal for a CPS Summer Grant or other grant opportunity.

January 7 | 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. EST | Session Attendance Not Capped

Presenter: Dawn Helsing Wolters, Director of College Grants

Presenter Bio: Dawn Helsing Wolters is Director of College Grants at Gettysburg, joining the Advancement Team in 2022 after 8 years as the Director of Institutional Giving and Chief Grants Officer at Alverno College in WI. Her career has been spent in non-profit organization management and leadership, with a 30 year track-record of successful grant proposals and grant-funded projects. After working in marketing, fundraising, and executive leadership in professional theatre, she returned to higher education and to grant development because of her love for grant work, which includes storytelling, problem solving, strategic planning, collaborative leadership, project development and management, evaluation and impact assessment. She has taught grant writing at Alverno College since 2013 and loves working with students. She lives in Gettysburg and volunteers with dog rescue and lost dog recovery.

Register for Know Your Audience: Tips for Writing Competitive Grant Proposals

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Learning how to learn - study and life skills for a modern liberal arts education

Feeling overwhelmed by readings, papers, and everything else on your plate? This interactive session cuts through the noise to teach you science-backed study techniques that actually work. You'll learn to prioritize tasks, manage your time without burning out, take better notes, and prepare for your next exam. Whether you're a first-year finding your footing or an upperclassman looking to level up, you'll leave with practical strategies and knowledge of campus resources to support your academic success and personal growth. Families welcome!

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Learn how to apply evidence-based study techniques that enhance retention and understanding, including spaced repetition, active recall, and interleaving, to prepare for liberal arts coursework across disciplines
• Create a personalized time management system that balance academic workload, co-curricular involvement, and self-care within the liberal arts college environment
• Build effective notetaking, information synthesis, and study skills that support critical thinking and connect ideas across different courses in a liberal arts curriculum
• Develop awareness of campus resources to build a support network that enhances academic success and personal growth

January 8 | 2 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. EST | Session Attendance Not Capped

Presenter: Josef Brandauer, Dean of Academic Advising and Student Success

Presenter Bio: Josef Brandauer, Ph.D., is the Dean of Academic Advising and Student Success at Gettysburg College. Previously, he was a Professor of Health Sciences at Gettysburg College.

Register for Learning How to Learn by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Level Up Your Resume and Cover Letter

The Center for Career Engagement is seeking students who want to take their resume to the next level. Whether you've just started your resume, are transitioning from a high school resume to a professional one, have too many experiences or not enough, we want to hear from you at this session. We'll start with a resume overview, work together to evaluate effectiveness and edit experiences, and examine experience gaps. We will also review cover letters as they can show potential employers you're the right one for the job. Help your application documents be more impressive and effective, so you land that first interview and the next and the next...

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Students will understand the individual purposes of the resume and cover letter.
• Students will have the tools to edit and update their documents as needed.
• Students will have an understanding of what to look for in job and internship advertisements and tailor their documents accordingly.

January 9 | 1 p.m. - 2:15 p.m EST | Session Attendance Not Capped

Presenters: Kim Landauer, Career Counselor Center for Career Engagement

Tiffany Kurzawa, Director of Experiential Programs Center for Career Engagement

Register for Level Up Your Resume and Cover Letter by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

Making the Most of the Gettysburg Network

Networking is an integral part of the career development journey, but can feel overwhelming, particularly when you don't know where to start. Join the Center for Career Engagement, together with young alumni volunteers, as we share how to take the best advantage of the Gettysburg Network. We will cover finding networking contacts, reaching out, and and how to have productive and meaningful conversations.

At the end of this session, participants will:

• Gain an understanding of the principles of professional networking and begin to identify ways to increase their social capital
• Interact with alumni, hear personal anecdotes, and gain networking advice from industry professionals in real time
• Students will learn how to develop new contacts within their field, strategies and techniques for networking, and begin to make a networking plan

January 8 | 7 PM to 8:15 PM. EST | Session Attendance Capped at 50

Presenter: Billy Ferrell, Director of External Relations for the Center for Career Engagement

Elizabeth Hilfrank, Content and Communications Lead for Glasswing Ventures

Elizabeth Hilfrank is the Content and Communications Lead for Glasswing Ventures, an early-stage AI-focused venture capital firm. Prior to Glasswing, she spent five years working in marketing for Drift, a Salesloft Company, where she helped build the content strategy around videos, podcasts, webinars, books, blogs and newsletters. Elizabeth graduated summa cum laude from Gettysburg College with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies. She was captain of the Cross Country and Track and Field teams, a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, editor of the sports section of The Gettysburgian, host of a radio show on WZBT, and three-year video intern for the Communications and Marketing office.

Rush Ehrhart, Underwriting Analyst for American International Group.

Rush Ehrhart is an Underwriting Analyst for American International Group (AIG) on their Financial Lines, Public Directors and Officers team. AIG is an industry-leading, global general insurance organization at the forefront of originating risk solutions. Rush evaluates stock based risk and engages with C-suite executives to assess current performance and explore future projections in order to provide coverage solutions. Rush graduated summa cum laude from Gettysburg College with a BA in Business, Organizations, and Management studies. He worked as a Leadership Educator with the Garthwait Leadership Center, was a member of Phi Delta Theta, volunteered at the Painted Turtle Farm, and founded the Professional Development Club.

Register for Making the Most of Gettysburg’s Network by Noon on January 2nd

This is a virtual session. Participants will receive the session link prior to the session. We encourage every student to turn on their video during the presentation for a fully immersive experience.

J-Term 2026 Virtual Sessions Schedule

More information

For questions about January Term virtual sessions, please email jterm@gettysburg.edu.