Jennifer Tockman’s mission is to connect people with their purpose.  

For 12 years, the director of Career Services at the Harrington Center at Colby-Sawyer College has created innovative programs, partnerships and student leadership opportunities to do just that. 

By building and sustaining strong relationships with employers and community partners, Tockman said Career Services extends students’ learning into the world they seek to impact. 

Baley Tremblay ’25, for instance, utilized the center to help land an internship with the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food. Tremblay, who earned a degree in environmental science, now works as an agricultural inspector for the department’s division in Concord, New Hampshire. 

Tockman also directs the college’s BOLD Women’s Leadership Network, which provides scholars with a community of mentors and peers to prepare and inspire them. 

Mackenzie Hopkins ’25 is part of the network. Hopkins, who earned a degree in exercise science, initially interned with the athletics department at Keene State College. Now she's a BOLD fellow there, working as an athletics community outreach coordinator. 

This spring, as Career Services celebrates 50+ years at the Colby-Sawyer, relationship building continues with an Employer Expo on March 4 and a Mock Interview Competition on April 6. 

Colby-Sawyer men’s basketball coach Shannon Sciria '09 asks his players to build rapport with Tockman and Noelle Bassi, assistant director of career services, to prepare to win off the court as well as on. Each student-athlete has a one-on-one meeting with Tockman or Bassi to explore how the skills they've developed in athletics can be highlighted on resumes and in interviews. 

“Our men’s basketball program is so grateful for Career Services; we truly consider them part of our team," Sciria said.

Connor Delaney ’15, assistant director of student programming at Boston College, said the strategies he developed working with the center have been instrumental in his success. 

“I benefited from personalized guidance in crafting and refining my resume, which helped me better understand how to articulate my experiences, strengths and goals in a clear and compelling way,” he said.

“That guidance gave me confidence as I applied for summer work opportunities as a student and for my first post-graduate job. And it laid the groundwork for how I continue to present myself professionally today.” 

Career Services prepared Michael Queen '21, '22 MBA to shine when he applied for internships and positions with SpaceX and BAE Systems. 

“Professors help students gain the skills to stand out in jobs, but Career Services taught us how to get the opportunities necessary to show off those skills,” said the doctoral student and senior financial analyst. 

Last fall, as Career Services approached its 50th anniversary on campus, Tockman researched its start at Colby-Sawyer.

She said the beginning was likely in October 1975, when Ruth Joan Fuchs Bryne was hired as director of placement and career counseling. Bryne held a bachelor’s in French and Italian, a master’s from Bryn Mawr College and additional graduate study at the Sorbonne in Paris, University of Florence in Italy and Middlebury College. Prior to joining the college, she worked as an intelligence officer and foreign language specialist with the Central Intelligence Agency and as a White House and Congressional liaison specialist.

Bryne’s hiring coincided with the institution’s transition from a two-year college for women, Colby Junior College, to a four-year college for women, Colby-Sawyer. The center’s name changed several times, as well, before landing on its current title. It's been the Career Counseling and Placement Office, the Office of Career Services, the Harrington Center for Career and Academic Advising, and the Harrington Center for Experiential Learning. 

The name isn't the only thing that has changed. Fifty years ago, most resumes were typewritten. Correction tape covered typos. Jobseekers often included their marital status and age on the text-heavy, black-and-white pages that students delivered in person or mailed. 

Today, resumes are digital, creatively formatted, keyword-optimized to pass through Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software and submitted online. They can be edited in minutes and shared on LinkedIn profiles and online portfolios.

Technology has revolutionized most aspects of career services, said Tockman, from student records to alumni mentoring platforms, and from recruiting to interviewing.  

In 1975, students were counseled to secure a role at a company and remain there for years. Or decades. Today, they’re coached to focus on transferable skills, expect multiple transitions and view careers as evolving portfolios.  

Through experiential learning and vocational exploration, Tockman said students gain clarity, confidence and direction and become “equipped to navigate a complex, diverse and ever-changing world with purpose and resilience.”