From: B.B.A. in Management, 2023

To: Event Planner and Project Manager, Ford Leadership Forum at Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation

Reegan Van Dam didn’t have to wait long to put her Davenport University education to work.

As a senior, Van Dam landed an internship with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation after one of her Davenport professors recommended that she apply. The experience turned into a full-time position after graduation, which launched a career Van Dam had been working toward since high school.

Today, she is an event planner and project manager for the Ford Leadership Forum, where she helps bring programs and events from the initial ideas to the finished products.

“It’s fun to see where we’re starting with the ideas and what fun things we can do, and then see all that come to life,” Van Dam said. “I really enjoy that.”

Van Dam has now been with the organization for four years, building on the skills and experiences she developed at Davenport.

“Davenport was a place for intentional learning, which then landed me a full-time career, and I’m grateful for that.”

Van Dam transferred to Davenport from another college after touring campus and seeing a more personal approach to learning. She felt connected to her professors and appreciated the attention they gave students in the classroom. That relationship with faculty ultimately proved pivotal, as it was through a professor’s recommendation that she landed her internship.

Van Dam chose to study management because of her interest in the business side of corporate event planning. Davenport gave her opportunities to apply that interest in practical settings, including through a capstone course and an internship experience.

Her capstone course, in particular, allowed her to bring together skills and experiences from throughout her Davenport education, which enabled her to apply what she had learned in a professional setting.

For Van Dam, that hands-on approach made the transition from college to career feel natural, and career readiness wasn’t just about preparing for a job after college. At Davenport, it meant getting the opportunity to start building that career before she even graduated. Davenport works.