A Career Champion is a Binghamton University staff or faculty member who has been nominated by a student for playing a pivotal role in their personal and professional growth. Career Champions are those individuals who have helped students to:
- Explore career options
- Network with other professionals in students’ fields of interest
- Apply for graduate school/provide support
- Connect with employers for jobs or internships
- Interview for internships and/or jobs
- Gain necessary technical and professional skills needed in the workplace
- Learn industry knowledge and tips
Each year, Career Champion nominees are invited to the annual Career Champions Breakfast where they will be honored and celebrated for empowering students to identify and reach their career goals or solidify future plans.
Nominate your career champion here!
History and additional information
The Fleishman Center has been recognizing Career Champions since 2015. Learn more about this tradition and why Career Champions are so important to our mission to support all students.
What is the Career Champions Breakfast?
The Fleishman Center launched the first annual Career Champions Breakfast in 2015. Every year, 100+ Career Champions gather together for a time of celebration, food and reflection. Career Champions are also invited to invite a special guest from their department or another colleague to join in the festivities. If you have received an invitation to the Career Champions Breakfast, we hope you feel honored that a student has gone out of their way to recognize you for the impact you have made on their life!
Why was the Career Champions initiative created?
As a Career Champion, you are now part of a growing movement to integrate career exploration and readiness into all parts of University life – from the classroom to extracurricular activities. Research shows that in order to close the gap in career mobility for minoritized and first-generation college students, we need to create pathways to reach all students with career awareness. We especially need to reach students with limited social capital, as well as those who have not yet gained career and academic clarity or mentorship. This means that collaboration with colleagues like you is essential!
Former Career Champions
We receive an outpouring of nominations every semester from students who are more prepared for post-graduate life as a direct result of the Career Champions’ efforts. Read a few testimonies below.
Dr. Mohammad Khasawneh
SUNY Distinguished Professor and Department Chair
Department: Systems Science and Industrial Engineering
Years nominated: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022
Student Nomination:
"Dr. Khasawneh has made a huge impact on my professional career since I've joined the SSIE department. Although he is not technically an advisor, I've found that he has given me advice on numerous occasions and has guided me towards my professional goals. He has also helped me with networking assistance and I was able to obtain an internship last summer because of him. Dr. Khasawneh is the nicest professor at Binghamton and is always there for all students in the department. I have not even taken a class with Dr. Khasawneh as my professor and he's already made such a big impact on my life. He's a very busy man, yet always has time for anyone who is asking for assistance. Lastly, he has helped me find my passion in the Industrial Engineering field. There are not enough nice things I can say about Dr. Khasawneh and how he helps and guides his students to where they want to be; he is very much deserving of this award."
Dr. Surinder Kahai
Associate Professor
Department: School of Management
Years nominated: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022
Student Nomination:
"Professor Kahai has been one of the most crucial people to boost my knowledge of the world not just from an academic perspective, but also a realistic one. As I took his classes in Management Information Systems and E-Business, I gathered information that I initially believed would be much like all the others – simply academic views that would not be used in the real world. I was terribly mistaken. Now that I have begun my career in cyber-security, I am more than inclined to say that Professor Kahai’s words of wisdom have rung in my ears each day, whether it is hearing about new technology innovations or using his interpersonal skills and advice within my day-to-day life."
Dr. Susan Flynn
Research Assistant Professor
Department: Biomedical Chemistry for First-year Research Immersion; Chemistry
Years nominated: 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022
Student Nomination:
"Dr. Flynn is always extremely friendly and caring about others, no matter if they want to stay in the biomedical chemistry field or not. For example, I expressed my interest in environmental science to her one day in the lab and not only did she encourage my exploration of research, she even gave me a couple of useful links to aid in my search! She is always ready to talk, whether it be about how your day or week is going or whether or not one should go to graduate school. Within her own field, she is also extremely knowledgeable and helpful in teaching other techniques relating to our project. She allows for independence yet is always willing to lend a helping hand if needed, creating the perfect mixture of an optimized learning environment!"
