There’s only so much of a college education that a resume can capture. Sometimes, a student’s most transformative experiences can’t be summarized in a single bullet point.
Perhaps no one knows this better than Bucknellians, which is why the University has introduced a new way for students to chart their four years of knowledge, exploration and growth. Launched last academic year, the Pathways program encourages students to thoughtfully integrate their curricular and co-curricular experiences through the creation of a digital portfolio.
Equipped with a range of tools for writing, displaying photos, embedding documents and more, this highly customizable personal site allows for vivid mapping of the college journey — from Orientation to graduation. But the Pathways portfolio is more than an amalgamation of a student’s accomplishments in the classroom — it’s an exercise in self-discovery.
Photos: Courtesy of Lainey Lavelle ’22
As students reflect on their involvement in residence halls, clubs, study abroad programs and beyond, they gain a clearer understanding of their own values, goals, strengths and weaknesses — and how it all relates to their academic and professional trajectory.
“The process of creating a personal narrative is instrumental in threading personal and academic lessons in a coherent way,” says Tranquillo. “So even if this portfolio isn’t necessarily something you’d present at a job interview — the way an artist or an engineer might — you’ve still done the intellectual work to communicate effectively about what you’ve learned here.”
I actually gave my interviewers a QR code to my portfolio so they were able to see what I’d accomplished.”
LAINEY LAVELLE ’22
To provide a range of entry points for student participation, the University is working to integrate Pathways into a variety of programs, curricula and resources across campus. After completing this year’s Common Reading book, George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy, all first-year students were invited to translate their takeaways into a piece of interpretive work to be added to their digital portfolio. The Center for Career Advancement is also developing a half-credit course centering the portfolio as a powerful tool.
For education major Lainey Lavelle ’22, the portfolio proved instrumental.
“As I was interviewing for teaching positions, it was great to go back and access everything I did and learned through the student-teaching placement I had while at Bucknell,” says Lavelle. “I actually gave my interviewers a QR code to my portfolio so they were able to see what I’d accomplished. That not only set me apart but also gave me a leg up because they could see how much I’ve prepared for a career in teaching.”