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Volume 125 Issue 116
kansan.com
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
KANSAN
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RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
ERIN BREMER/KANSAN
Students are opting for nutritional meals, including fresh fruits and vegetables, in their daily dining routines. On campus, maintaining a healthy diet is tough, but many dining areas provide healthy meal options.
HEALTHY HABITS
Food enthusiasts bring passion for nutrition to campus
EMMA LEGAULT
elegault@kansan.com
"You see those people who have had Type 2 diabetes for so long that their legs have been amputated," she said.
Having worked in an assisted living facility for 10 years, Karla Wessling has seen the realities of an unhealthy lifestyle.
It was here that Wessling, a student in the dieticic program at KU Medical Center from Baldwin City, felt that she could do more. As she worked her way up from cook to dietary manager, she realized her dream of becoming a dietitian.
It's a natural career path for Wessling, who has always worked in food service. From 1994 to 1998, she worked a block away from her home at Baker University in the cafeteria. She said that although no one really cared about nutrition in the '90s, she found a passion for providing food to people.
A self-described "cliché person," Wessling loves cooking Thanksgiving dinner on her own from start to finish for she and her husband's extended family every year. She calls herself a "vegetable eater," but would rather serve a sweet, decadent dessert because it makes people happy.
After working at one end of the spectrum, Wessling did a 180 and spent last fall's clinical portion of the internship at Children's Mercy Hospital developing dietary strategies for patients and educating their adult counterparts.
"Many of the children, they're born with different anomalies, where in the adult population, sometimes but not always . . . your lifestyle habits turn into your health problem," she said.
Wessling hopes the message reached them in more ways than one.
Between the internship at Children's Mercy and watching her 14-year-old son and his friends grow up, being around young people has played an important factor in Wessling's desire to spread nutritional knowledge.
Now at the management portion of her internship at KU Dining, she has the opportunity to work with a slightly older yet equally critical demographic: college students.
"My gear has changed," she said. "I worked with the elderly and I learned about nutrition, but then watching children grow up actually made me passionate about pediatric nutrition."
Brandon Volz couldn't stay away from KU Dining after graduating in 2010. He loved his job he held at the Studio at Hashinger as a freshman into his senior year, and then returned about a year ago to a supervisor position at Oliver Hall and now, North College Café.
"... Watching children grow up actually made me passionate about pediatric nutrition."
Volz has a passion for his job, where he gets to experiment with new ingredients and recipes that are newer, better, fresher and healthier. His blue eyes seem to light up as he speaks with genuine excitement about the different flavor profiles of fish, learning to saute and moving out of his comfort zone to work with vegetables, grains and fruit.
KARLA WESSLING Dietitian
He isn't much of a baker, he said, but he is an avid fan of cheesecake. In fact, his recipe for mini cheesecake shooters made its way to the dessert tray at North College Café.
"It doesn't ever feel like work," he said. "I love everything about this job."
The atmosphere of wellness KU Dining promotes prompted the energetic Volz to make a change in his own life. While he was working
at Applebee's after graduation, he woke up one day feeling lethargic, weighed down and subdued. He needed a change of atmosphere and took advantage of the opportunity to return.
Now, Volz and the staff of North College Café try to personally connect with their diners. He gives an example of an upset student when the Café runs out of Fruity Pebbles.
"When that happens, we explain to our staff that it's not necessarily that that person's crazy or anything, it means maybe something happened to them during the day — maybe the only thing they wanted to make their day better was a bowl of Fruity Pebbles, and that's what we want to be able to provide," he said.
"I get excited when I come to work," Volz. "There's a vibrance and an energy that's really present. It's not just coming in and handing them a sandwich, it's making a difference in their day."
When Volz comes to work, he finds interacting with students makes the job meaningful.
For Volz, cooking has taught him to be fearless in trying new things. His own mother's words continue to echo through his mind.
"My mom always told me that I'm not allowed when it comes to eating $_{f}$, I can't say I don't like something until I try it once," he said.
Although Wessling admitted to not eating vegetables regularly until college, her son loves vegetables and asked for a Magic Bullet for his birthday to make smoothies.
At her home in Baldwin City, Wessling tries to keep fresh options for she and her son, Ryan.
CAREER
"That's what makes me think, 'Yeah, I've probably instilled some good habits into his life,'" Wessling said. "And hopefully, he'll keep them."
Edited by Jordan Wisdom
Prepare for post-graduation job interviews with these tips
MARSHALL SCHMIDT
mschmidt@kansan.com
With graduation around the corner, here are 10 tips for landing that professional job and avoiding having to move back in with your parents.
1. DON'T PANIC
Searching for a professional job is a creative, yet vexing, process.
However, as Bill Watterson, author of the "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip, said, "You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. What mood is that? Last-minute panic."
Even if soon-to-be graduates have not even started a job search, it's never too late to start, said Chance Clutter, career counselor for the University.
"While panic can help motivate students, it is going to take time and effort." Clutter said.
2. BUT DON'T WAIT AROUND TOO LONG
The National Center for Education Statistics estimates 1,791,000 students will graduate with a bachelor's degree in 2013, which means there is plenty of competition for job openings, Clutter said.
"By delaying a job search, you might be missing those professional opportunities that exist right now, but may not exist after the summer," Clutter said. "If you are looking for that career, waiting around isn't going to help."
3. SUIT UP!
"The suit will get you cash later," Clutter said.
When it comes time to ask for your graduation gift, Clutter recommended asking for a suit to wear to job interviews instead of the usual request for cash.
The University Career Center, located in 110 Burge Union, allows students to borrow up to five pieces of professional attire to use for interviews.
4. BE AWARE OF YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE
Most employers will do some sort of Internet search on job candidates, Clutter said, which includes Facebook and Twitter.
Students can improve their online image by using social media, including creating a LinkedIn account and interacting with potential employers online. Clutter said.
"Nothing is private online," Clutter said.
5. NETWORK, NETWORK,
NETWORK
Beyond LinkedIn, students should actively make company contacts with potential employers at career fairs, with friends' employers or through internships, said Cynthia Valdivia, corporate recruiting manager for Abengoa Bioenergy Corporation in Chesterfield, Mo.
"In this world, it's all about who you know," Valdivia said. "All the jobs I've gotten are because of who I've known."
Valdivia recommended never speaking ill of previous employers, especially in an interview.
6. TREAT PAST EMPLOYERS WELL
"If you're talking bad about them, you'll talk bad about us," Valdivia said.
When considering hiring a potential employee, companies do look at work history and call references, said Misti Mustain, director of specialty services for Labette Center for Mental Health Services, Inc., in Labette County, Kan.
"We look for students who show they are looking for a career and loyal to a company," Mustain said.
7. VOLUNTEER OUTSIDE WORK
Employers are looking for balanced employees who volunteer and have other interests outside of work, Mustain said. Working unpaid internships does not count.
"We favor people who do volunteer work because it shows they have a level of care and compassion about their community," Mustain said.
Compassion is important in every job that the Labette Center hires for, including nurses, therapists and case managers.
"We can teach you the skills of working the job, but we value people who have integrity," Mustain said. "That's not easily
taught."
8. BE AGGRESSIVE. B-E AGGRESSIVE!
Many students who come to Clutter for career guidance say they are looking for any job.
"Really, they're not," Clutter said. "We need to figure out where their interests lie so we can focus the search to be more intentional about the job search."
No matter the job hired for, Jeana McCune, manager of learning innovation for H&R Block in Kansas City, Mo., said she is looking for people who are passionate about what they do.
Even if students are only offered an internship rather than a full-time position, if it's in a field they want to be in, it's still worth pursuing. Clutter said.
"It's really important to talk about your passions and what your career goals entail." McCune said. "Even if you're not graduating this year, it's still important to have your career goals two to five years ahead of time in mind."
Even if potential employers only look at a resume an average of 15 seconds before deciding to give a candidate an interview, Clutter said3 bringing a resume to a job interview is a must.
To show interest in the company, Valdivia advised asking a question at the end of the interview. And of course, always follow up with a thank-you note.
"If you don't hear anything after a week, follow up with a phone call or email," Valvidia said. "It shows you're persistent."
9. BRING A RESUME TO THE JOB INTERVIEW
"One person didn't get hired because they didn't bring their resume," Valdivia said. "We want to make sure you're prepared and pay attention to the details."
10. REMEMBER, INTERNSHIPS
CAN LEAD TO FULL-TIME
POSITIONS
"It's a good way to get inside the company and meet people," Clutter said. "Around 50 percent or so will turn into a full-time job."
Edited by Paige Lytle
Students can borrow clothes for professional job interviews at the University Career Center located in room 110 in the Burge Union.
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
CLASSIFIEDS 7
CROSSWORD 5
CRYPTOQUIPS 5
OPINION 4
SPORTS 8
SUDOKU 5
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2013 The University Daily Kansan
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Today's Weather
Partly cloudy. 20 percent chance of rain. Wind SSE at 9 mph.
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