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The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a wrench into the internship and job plans of many �鶹��Ѱ�����engineering students and recent graduates. Even so, these steadfast Buffs have been able to overcome all the extra logistical hurdles and uncertainty caused by the novel virus.

ProReady resources can help engineering Buffs overcome delayed start dates, rescinded job and internship offers, unexpected swaps to remote work and everything in between.

“You shouldn’t have to navigate this alone,” says Ben Weihrauch, senior director of student professional development for the college. “Being persistent and resilient, along with widening your job search targets, will be key in navigating the current hiring market.”

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After graduating from �鶹��Ѱ�����in May, Gabriella Abello spent the summer weighing all her options. Graduate school? Find a job? Something else entirely?

Though the pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty in her life, it’s also given Abello time to consider what she actually wants to do in her life.

“If this wouldn’t have happened, I would’ve just taken the first job I got and started at an engineering firm and just kinda gone with the next steps and that’s totally fine,” says Abello, who studied architectural engineering and environmental design. “But the pandemic has allowed me to slow down and think, ‘OK, what do I really want?’ I know that I want to be an engineer, but what else do I want and what direction do I want to go?”

Ultimately, Abello decided to enroll in graduate school in Denmark, where she studied abroad as an undergrad. She was accepted to the Technical University of Denmark, where she’ll begin work on a master’s degree in architectural engineering in January. 

Though her plans are now firmed up, Abello tried to approach the unexpected downtime caused by the pandemic with an adventurous outlook — she opened herself up to new ideas, new opportunities and new paths that she may have otherwise overlooked. And she’s glad she did.

“What everyone needs right now is patience with themselves and everyone around them,” she said. “You just have to get creative with what you want to do and make time for yourself.”