2026 Virtual Sessions

All virtual sessions are free.

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

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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

Confirmed Panelists: Phoebe Doscher ‘22, Marketing Copywriter, Brown University
Kasey Varner ‘14, Senior Manager, Public Relations & Communications, 160over90

Prospective Panelist: Mackenzie Targarona ‘18 - Program Manager, Social Media & PR, Staples

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

Confirmed Panelists: Taylor Maloney ‘19, Account Executive, MidMarket, Ramp

Prospective Panelists: Maddie Bergier ‘22, Senior Sales Representative, Lenovo
Andrew Garstka ‘19, Director of West Coast Commercial Sales, Expel

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 ‘17, Financial Advisor/Financial Planning Specialist, Morgan Stanley

Confirmed Panelists:Claire Martin ‘17, Lead Financial Analyst, Co-Star Group

Prospective Panelist:Ryan Rausch ‘15, Director - Clinical Planning, NYU Langone Health

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

Confirmed Panelist: 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 inAMerican 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

Confirmed Panelist: Erica Paul ‘18, Paul Weiss

Prospective Panelists:Sarah Roessler ‘16, Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice
Becca Barksdale ‘14, Senior Counsel, Saxton & Stump
Akilah Brown ‘21, Howard Law School (previously at Morgan Lewis)

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

Confirmed Panelists: David Medina ‘21, Sales Representative, Stryker Foot and Ankle Division
Taylor Bury ‘16, General Dentist/Partner, Belmont Dental

Prospective Panelists:Christian Whitsel ‘21, Critical Care Nurse Practitioner, Bellevue Hospital New York
Brandon John ‘16 & Caitlin Yak ‘22 Physical Therapy

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

Confirmed Panelists: Pat McKenna ‘20, Chief of Staff, Climate Leadership Council
Caroline Heckman ‘21, Senior Manager, US Chamber of Commerce

Prospective Panelist: Piper O’Keefe ‘17, International Relations Specialist, US Department of Energy

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

 

J-Term 2026 Virtual Sessions Schedule

Virtual Sessions Schedule

Session	Presenter	Date	Start Time	End Time
Excel Like a Pro	Tom Franza	1/6/26	1:00PM	2:00PM
Getting Started in Higher Education	Andrea Zaleski / Nate Cody / Cameron Sauers	1/6/26	7:00PM	8:30PM
Getting Started in Communications, Marketing	Phoebe Doscher / Kasey Varner / Mackenzie Targarona	1/7/26	7:00PM	8:30PM
Learning How to Learn: Study and Life Skills for a Modern Liberal Arts Education	Josef Brandauer	1/8/26	2:00PM	3:15PM
Making the Most of the Gettysburg Network	Billy Ferrell	1/8/26	7:00PM	8:15PM
Level Up Your Resume and Cover Letter	Tiffany Kurzawa / Kim Landauer	1/9/26	1:00PM	2:15PM
AI Ethics for Humans	Steve Gimbel / Eric Remy	1/9/26	4:00PM	5:15PM
Getting Started in Law—Even If Not (Immediately) As a Lawyer	Erica Paul	1/11/26	4:00PM	5:30PM
Getting Started in the Medical Field	David Medina / Taylor Bury	1/12/26	6:00PM	7:30PM
Communicating Across Cultures	Brad Lancaster / Bekah Hurwitz	1/13/26	10:30AM	Noon
Do Pay Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain: Understanding How AI Works	Eric Remy	1/13/26	2:00PM	3:15PM
Getting Started in Public Policy	Pat McKenna / Caroline Heckman	1/13/26	7:00PM	8:30PM
Getting Started in Finance	Claire Martin	1/14/26	6:00PM	7:30PM
Key Financial Habits for Your Future	Mark P. Bernier, CFA	1/15/26	1:00PM	2:00PM
Getting Started in Sales	Taylor Maloney	1/15/26	7:00PM	8:30PM

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More information

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