Higher Education

From Classroom to Career: Helping Students Land and Thrive with Essential Skills

A panel discussion featuring thought leader and communications instructor, JD Schramm, joined by career development and recruiting experts

Want to give your students the inside track on landing their dream job? Then watch this panel discussion on the critical role of competencies in job readiness. Expert panelists reveal the skills that today’s employers are looking for, and actionable tips on building those skills into your curriculum. 

In this free recorded webinar, you’ll learn:

  • How to build competencies in students that help them land and thrive in a job
  • How to create learning opportunities that help students build portfolios and interview preparedness
  • What skills are most important to recruiters in looking to hire college grads

JD Schramm, Ed.D.

JD Schramm joined the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism after more than 20 years of teaching graduate-level courses at Stanford, Columbia, and NYU. His focus in communication management is to mentor and support leaders in defining and then sharing the difficult stories which need to be told. He has spoken at TED and TEDx events and has coached scores of others to do the same. JD is an active member of the LGBTQ community, particularly focused on the inclusion efforts within higher education and communities of worship. He’s an advocate for suicide prevention, foster care services, and HIV/AIDS research. Schramm holds his Ed.D. in higher education leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, his MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business, and his BFA in theater from Emporia State University in Kansas. He and his husband, Rev. Ken Daigle, make their home in San Francisco raising three very active children.

Jennifer Kaplan

Jennifer Kaplan is the Head of Campus and Diversity Recruiting and Co-Head of DEI at Schonfeld Strategic Advisors, a multi-strategy, multi-manager hedge fund headquartered in NYC. At Schonfeld, Jennifer provides strategic direction and thought leadership for attracting a diverse and inclusive talent base, and she partners with the Executive Committee and other senior leaders to ensure DEI is embedded and aligned in all aspects of the business. Jennifer has spent her career dedicated to advancing diverse and inclusive talent attraction strategies. Prior to joining Schonfeld in 2021, she was Head of Campus and Diversity Recruiting at AQR. From 2007-2017, Jennifer held leadership roles in Global Markets and Campus Diversity Recruiting at Credit Suisse. Prior to that, she spent 10 years leading undergraduate and graduate diversity admissions at top universities. Jennifer began her career as a chemical engineer working in the waste management field. Jennifer has been involved in numerous non-profits, including chairing the Corporate Advisory Board of the Consortium of Graduate Study in Management, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and co-leading the 1st VOWS (Veterans on Wall Street) event. She currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the School of Engineering at the University of Miami and co-chairs the DEI Alliance at Schonfeld. Jennifer graduated from Tulane University with a degree in Chemical Engineering.

Zack Rigney

Zack Rigney is a Career Advisor at USC Annenberg’s Career Development Office. At Annenberg, he supports students on their professional journeys through career advising and developmental programs. In the past, he has partnered with companies such as NBCUniversal, Spotify, and Meta to connect students with professionals to learn about potential pathways. In recent years, he has collaborated with the Career Development team to create new experiential programing such as the Washington D.C. Maymester program and the Career Immersion to Atlanta. During both programs, Zack led student groups to various companies with an aim to help them explore career pathways while networking with local professionals and alumni.