Carleton Career Center earns 2026 Career Innovation Award for virtual Exploration Externship experience

The Carleton Career Center has earned a 2026 Career Innovation Award from the Career Leadership Collective (CLC) for the College’s new Exploration Externship experience.

The award, which recognizes outstanding initiatives in college and university career services, was announced during the CLC’s annual conference in Savannah, Georgia on Tuesday, April 21.

Carleton has long been known for a robust offering of applied winter break externships, which are one- to three-week experiences hosted by alumni, but demand for this high-cost model has far outpaced capacity for both College staff and alumni hosts in recent years. Seeing the strong interest from students and evolving expectations for career preparation, the Career Center team embarked on a mission to expand the externship experience to offer more access, especially for first- and second-year students and those with higher financial need.

Laura Hartpence, director of the Carleton Career Center, notes that the externship redesign is a direct result of the College’s larger career education goals. 

“When the Career Center launched its new strategic direction in April 2025, we envisioned a campus environment where every student was supported to engage in robust career exploration,” Hartpence said. “By investing in early, shared experiences, we are helping our students see the many ways a liberal arts education can translate into meaningful opportunities beyond Carleton.”

To address the need, the Career Center launched a new, virtual Exploration Externship experience, connecting six cohorts of students with alumni volunteers, career coaches, employers, and graduate schools across the country during the first week of winter break. As the Career Center wrote in its purpose statement to the CLC, the new design allowed it “to provide shared access at scale, advance equity regardless of need, and engage alumni volunteers” in supporting student career exploration. Tracks used a shared learning model, with students as active partners in informational interviews, discussion, and reflection.

The Exploration Externships garnered excellent results, with 204 first- and second-year students completing nearly 2,000 hours of career exploration, networking, and skill-building during the program. Most notably, this new model meant that 100 percent of interested students were able to participate, creating a shared milestone experience. Of the program’s 53 alumni volunteers, 25 were brand-new to volunteering with the Career Center. 

Reflecting on the recognition from the CLC, Hartpence emphasized that the program was a true community achievement.

“The Career Center is honored to be recognized by our professional community for this innovative program, and we are deeply grateful for the generosity and enthusiasm of Carleton’s alumni volunteers, who helped to make it possible,” she said. “Their strong desire to support current Carls, and their openness to trying something new, allowed us to reimagine a beloved program to better support students at every stage of their career journey. This important pivot ensured that the Career Center could continue to offer high-impact applied externships for upper-level students while simultaneously harnessing the enthusiasm of first- and second-years through a new program. We are proud to be part of a creative and caring community that is committed to helping students prepare for an evolving world of work.”

Erica Helgerud ’20 is the news and social media manager for Carleton College.