The University Career Center team at the All Majors Career Expo – Fall 2022
The University Career Center made several elevations in team roles in the Career Development, Employer Engagement, and Marketing departments.
Courtney Pletcher, who has been with the office since last August, first as a Graduate Intern, and then as a Career Consultant, has been elevated to the role of Sr. Career Consultant. As a Senior Career Consultant, she will provide career development assistance to UTSA students, and alumni, and collaborate with campus partners such as the Center for Military Affiliated Students, where she plays the role of a Career liaison.
“Courtney’s professional development and positive impact on students and alumni has grown exponentially since she started her role in the Career Center. The passion she exhibits for serving students and alumni is evident and contagious. Her contributions to the Career Center and Career Engaged Learning (CEL) set the stage for the vision and mission of our department. I am proud to have Courtney on our team and her promotion and recognition is very well-deserved. Excited to be witness to all the great services and programming that Courtney will continue to provide our students and alumni,” said Sara Goede, Assistant Director of Career Development.
“I’m sincerely grateful for this recognition and genuinely love what I do here in empowering our UTSA Community for BOLD Futures. I’m looking forward to further collaborating on programs and initiatives to elevate career readiness across campus and continue building a future of success for our students and alumni,” says Courtney.
Michelle Schenk, the erstwhile Director of Employer Engagement, has been promoted to Senior Director of the UTSA University Career Center. In this new leadership role, she will be managing both the employer engagement and career consulting teams, deepening the collaboration to create innovative opportunities for career programming, employer engagement, experiential learning, and ultimately employment for students and alumni of all majors across the university. She aims to continue leveling up career-related resources and services for UTSA students and alumni as well as the volume and quality of employers.
Mario Vela, Assistant Vice-Provost of Career-Engaged Learning and Executive Director of the University Career Center says, “Michelle represents everything that makes UTSA special, and she has demonstrated that her leadership results in opportunities for our students and alumni through the vision she has developed for employer engagement. There is no person that is better positioned to lead our career center to the next phase in bridging career development and employer engagement.”
“I’m honored to take on this new position and continue transforming career management here at UTSA under Mario’s vision, creating a culture of careers and building out our career ecosystem. Our students deserve the best resources, career programming, and employment opportunities, and our team is committed to making it happen,” says Michelle.
Regina Gomez, who has been with the office for the last 9 years, will now serve as the Associate Director of Employer Engagement and College Relations and will be lead a team focused on employer recruiting and programming for UTSA students and alumni. She will be responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining employer engagement strategy, liaising with colleges and success centers to benefit UTSA students and alumni.
Michelle Schenk, Senior Director of the UTSA University Career Center says, “Regina’s promotion to Associate Director of Employer Engagement and College Relations was well-deserved. Along with delivering the highest level of service to the UTSA employer ecosystem, she is already a key liaison between the University Career Center and all of the college success centers. Excited to see those relationships grow under Regina’s leadership.”
“I am beyond happy and honored to continue to serve UTSA students by working with employers to provide our students with high-quality postgraduate opportunities,” says Regina. “Supporting the mission of UTSA and CEL and contributing towards an exciting future is truly a fantastic opportunity.”
Shruti Anand will now be supporting the Career-Engaged Learning office as the CEL Marketing and Communications Manager. As a part of this role, she will be leading the departments’ marketing and communications efforts – graphics, content, website development, social media, etc. – and assist the team in grant writing and development.
“Shruti joined UTSA to support marketing and communications for the University Career Center,” says Mario, Assistant Vice-Provost of Career-Engaged Learning. “With her remarkable ability to collaborate and partner across Career-Engaged Learning, we have witnessed her support in all areas of this institutional strategic priority. We are thrilled to see Shruti elevated to this new role and showcase our work to students and alumni.”
“I am thrilled to lead the marketing efforts for CEL – our teams have exciting programming and opportunities that greatly benefit the UTSA and San Antonio communities. I am also excited about finding grant funding opportunities that can help us achieve our departments’ strategic goals,” says Shruti.
