An event planning career may seem like a long shot from a liberal arts education, but Christendom graduates have made the transition successfully.
Alumnae Nicole Castellan ‘19, Ashley Way ‘20, and Maghee Fleischer ‘24 were welcomed back to Christendom on November 5 to explain how they managed the transition from their Christendom education to successful event planning careers post-graduation. In the final fall semester Life on Tap, a series of alumni interviews featuring various career possibilities post-graduation, Castellan, Way, and Fleischer spoke to current students about their paths from the liberal arts to the event planning industry, interviewed by Kristin Stephens, Director of Career and Professional Development.
Nicole (nee Feldman) Castellan ‘19 majored in history and, after graduation, worked as the Event Service Manager for Downtown Catering and briefly for Christendom’s Semester in Rome experience. She then served as the Senior Conference Services Manager at the WestinArlington and recently began a new job as a Meetings and Events Manager at Pharmacy Quality Alliance. Ashley Way ‘20 also got her degree in history and is currently the Events & Catering Coordinator at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, where she is the lead in catering sales, VIP visits, and the coordination of private events. After being part of both the Student Activities Council and Metanoia Magazine while at Christendom, Maghee Fleischer ‘24, who majored in literature, now works for Hewell Events Group, where she plans large-scale and high-end galas and conferences for organizations in the conservative movement.
After explaining their career paths post-graduation and their current day-to-day work, the alumnae shared with students their recommendations for preparing for an event planning job.
All three alumnae participated in Christendom’s Student Activities Council (SAC) while they were students, recommending it as an excellent experience in various aspects of event planning. Even while still in college, students can gain an understanding of the behind-the-scenes details and work that goes into the creation of large-scale events — invaluable experience for those hoping to become event planners.
The alumnae encouraged students to learn from every opportunity they could, even taking advantage of small jobs in customer service and the hospitality industry to gain experience for an event planning career.
When asked by Stephens what their favorite part of their work was, the alumnae agreed that not only did they love seeing months of hard work and planning culminate in a beautiful event, but they also deeply cared about serving clients and bringing them joy.
“There’s a lot of prepping that goes into it, but it’s also a lot of fun. You get to see things come together,” Castellan said.
The need to be flexible, the willingness to work unconventional hours, and the ability to remain cool under pressure were all aspects of their jobs that the alumnae advised the students to be prepared for.
“Flexibility is important. Your season in life will depend on your ability to do it,” Way told students, adding, “It’s really not a 9-to-5 job, but if you really like it, it doesn’t matter.”
Castellan, Way, and Fleischer are proof that Christendom alumni don’t need a field-specific degree to develop a successful career, even in the event planning industry. The Christendom education, complete with a balance of academic and social opportunities, allows students to develop organizational skills, the ability to multitask, and exemplary written and spoken communication—an excellent foundation for success in any area of work. These alumnae’s success in the event planning world is a testament to the strength of the Christendom experience in equipping its students for any career path they choose to pursue, regardless of their major. In addition, Fleischer and Castellan especially highlighted how networking within the Christendom communities secured them their first jobs post-graduation and urged students to use the connections they made at college.
The alumnae’s final advice to the students? They reminded students that the path into an event planning career would be challenging, but fulfilling, with Fleischer saying, “Be prepared for it to be hard and be prepared to work hard.”
Christendom’s Career and Professional Development Office offers opportunities to hear from alumni at Life on Tap at least three times a semester. In addition, students are given regular chances to attend relevant career workshops, meet with future employers, secure summer internships, and explore a plethora of career paths before they’ve even declared a major. With the support of the Career and Professional Development Office and an excellent liberal arts education, there is no career path rendered impossible with a degree from Christendom.
For further information, visit here.
Contributed by Bridget Palm ’28.
Watch the full talk below:
