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Six-seminar series helps students with issues outside the classroom

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Undergraduate students who attend all six sessions are eligible for a $1,000 scholarship.

By Carolina EspinalStaff Writer

Syracuse University students can attend three workshops to learn skills such as career development and self-care throughout the first half of the fall 2018 semester.

The series, called Foundations, is open to all students, and undergraduate students who attend every session are eligible for a $1,000 scholarship. The theme of this year’s series is setting healthy boundaries in different areas.

Syeisha Byrd, director of Hendricks Chapel’s Office of Engagement Programs, is an organizer of Foundations, a series of six seminars aimed at teaching students skills outside of the classroom.

Foundations, which began in 2017, was inspired by similar sessions spearheaded by Student-Athlete Engagement Coordinator Mark Trumbo and the student-athlete advisory committee, organizers said. Foundations became a collaborative effort between SU departments and faculty members who wanted to teach students skills outside their majors.

“Think about a house with a bad foundation. The house cracks, slants and can’t stay up,” Byrd said. “When you give students a solid foundation and give them all the skills they need to succeed, the likelihood of them failing is really low.”



She said she sees students in the financial literacy office becoming coaches and others attending the sessions again this year.

“(My mom) didn’t have the skills to teach me while I was growing up. The repetition of all these things makes you realize the importance,” said attendee Trufat Emanuel, a senior in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The organizers of the series said they are hopeful for its future. Byrd said she is thinking about planning a weekend retreat where students get hands-on experience.

Tracy Tillapaugh, SU graduate STEM career development specialist and co-organizer of the series, also advocated project-based and experiential learning.  

The organizers echoed the same goal for the series: to provide a springboard for students to succeed beyond college and in every point in life.

“Try to do one small thing to make a change because you can build on that,” Tillapaugh said. “If you’re standing at the bottom of a mountain, make that mountain a hill.”





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