Carolyn Sommers

Associate Director, Serves Undergraduate CAHSS & Exploring Students

I hold space for students to tell their stories and answer the questions: “Who am I,” “what am I here to do” and “how do I get there”. My end objective is to empower individuals through self-awareness and resource-awareness to move towards their goals. Personally, I am driven to play a part in helping people achieve a meaningful life. I love being in nature and I am especially motivated by activities devoted to personal development including yoga, meditation, and hiking. Our careers define only one part of our identity; and, considering we spend an average of 2,000 hours yearly in our jobs, it is critical to help students and alumni in their pursuit of purposeful lives by teaching them how to plan their careers and leverage their talents and interests.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which, kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no person could have dreamed would have come their way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” — Goethe

All Posts

When You’re Not Certain, You’ve Got to Become an Explorer of Your World!

“What are you going to do after DU!?” With two months away from graduation it’s likely that most encounters with family, friends, and professors lead to some variation of this question and you might not have an answer.

And, if …

By Carolyn Sommers
Carolyn Sommers Associate Director, Serves Undergraduate CAHSS & Exploring Students
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Must Have Resources For Students Going into Health and Human Services

If you’re considering a career in health and human services, there are several resources to support you in learning more about the industry, as well as, the job or internship search. Common job titles include social worker, therapist, counselor, public …

By Carolyn Sommers
Carolyn Sommers Associate Director, Serves Undergraduate CAHSS & Exploring Students
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What to Do with a Design and the Arts Major?

Design and the Arts

At the intersection of design and the arts is a set of skills that allow for creative expression and communication. Whether you’re studying Art, Art History, Emergent Digital Practices (EDP), Film, Marketing, or another related program, …

By Carolyn Sommers
Carolyn Sommers Associate Director, Serves Undergraduate CAHSS & Exploring Students
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Moving from Insanity to Strategy on the Job Search—Leveraging Social Media to Land a Job

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Apparently, Einstein knew a thing, or two, about patterns of behavior that don’t serve us well; learning how to break those patterns is another thing.

By Carolyn Sommers
Carolyn Sommers Associate Director, Serves Undergraduate CAHSS & Exploring Students
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Women and the Power of Networks-Leveraging Professional and Community Organizations

At our core, we are social beings who rely on each other to survive and thrive, yet our society is driven by, and values, independence and self-sufficiency. As a fiercely independent woman, I’ve resisted any circumstance where my ability to …

By Carolyn Sommers
Carolyn Sommers Associate Director, Serves Undergraduate CAHSS & Exploring Students
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Passion. Holy Cannoli! What is this thing called passion!?

Recently, I was making a 17-mile trek across Arvada when our guide brought us to a halt, stretched out his hand and presented us with a brown paper bag. Within this seemingly innocuous container was a collection of several pieces …

By Carolyn Sommers
Carolyn Sommers Associate Director, Serves Undergraduate CAHSS & Exploring Students
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The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living: Tools for Self-Knowledge

Socrates said, ‘the unexamined life is not worth living.’

If this proclamation is indeed true, then where does one begin to excavate these multiple dimensions of their life? And, more than that, what is the point?

Well, from the perspective …

By Carolyn Sommers
Carolyn Sommers Associate Director, Serves Undergraduate CAHSS & Exploring Students
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Leverage the Power of Words to Craft Compelling Resume Content

Half the battle of creating strong resumes is in developing content that truly illuminates your strengths and showcases your accomplishments; telling the story of your past experiences in a compelling manner is where most folks struggle. Whether your experience was paid or unpaid, …

By Carolyn Sommers
Carolyn Sommers Associate Director, Serves Undergraduate CAHSS & Exploring Students
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Not just your diploma in hand, but your first post-grad job, too

Half the battle of the job search is simply in having clarity around what you want to do and how you want to plug-in, then finding the companies doing those things. As a multi-pronged approach to the job search, it …

By Carolyn Sommers
Carolyn Sommers Associate Director, Serves Undergraduate CAHSS & Exploring Students
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Dreading Graduation? Let’s Go for a Walk.

It’s January and a little over one week into a new year. This is a time when people are feeling compelled to create some sort of change in their lives, to give up some habit, or develop a new one, …

By Carolyn Sommers
Carolyn Sommers Associate Director, Serves Undergraduate CAHSS & Exploring Students
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