The Beyond Boundaries program allows students to join an ecosystem of interdisciplinary scholars with the focus on solving problems through cross-discipline collaboration. To help align these experiences with professional exploration, Jenni Harpring, Program Director and Teaching Professor at the Brown School, has established an ongoing relationship with the Center for Career Engagement’s Career Exploration community.
“The partnership with the CCE has been especially valuable in making the application of an interdisciplinary framework in academic and professional contexts visible for students,” Harpring states. “Hearing from panelists gives students insight into how their unique skill set is applicable in myriad contexts. It also provides students with a glimpse into the ways people pivot and draw on diverse sets of skills for success.”
Carol Moakley, Associate Director of the Career Exploration community, has had the pleasure of working with Harpring within the WashU environment for over 15 years. This spring will be the fourth semester the CCE and Beyond Boundaries has partnered in the first-year seminar. Past offerings have allowed students to engage in self-exploration by exposing them to CCE resources, bringing in alumni for an interdisciplinary workplace panel, and undergoing preparation to initiate, implement, and learn from informational interviews.
“The workshops with Carol provide tangible examples of the important of interdisciplinary skills and their relevance as well as skill building for cold outreach and informational interviews,” Harpring explains. “In order to support the students’ ability to learn, this work is critical.”
Furthermore, while these programs operate within the University, Moakley and Harpring have been selected to share their work through an annual international interdisciplinary conference. “Even though we were unable to attend, this opportunity highlights the important practice of integrating career development into interdisciplinary studies,” says Moakley.
The students seem to agree. One testimonial emphasized the importance of trusting their own ideas and valuing the creativity brought to their work. “I’ve noticed that genuinely human ideas feel increasingly rare, and that makes them meaningful,” the student writes. “Through career coaching, I learned I want to develop a T-shaped skill set. While it’s great to have broad knowledge, I now see the importance of cultivating deep expertise in one area supported by a wide interdisciplinary foundation.”
Spring 2026 will bring about continued opportunities to collaborate with new course components to come.
WashU faculty and staff members who are interested in partnering with the CCE can request a career program or contact the Academic & Campus Partnerships Team.
