By Madelyn Diller
A liberal arts education equips students with essential workforce strengths including critical thinking, communication and collaboration; all skills which are highly valued across industries. Yet many students struggle to translate these skills into clear career pathways, and studies show that humanities students in particular have less access than their peers in other disciplines, to structured career exploration that bridges academic learning with industry opportunities.
Recognizing this gap, Beyond120 and the Career Connections Center identified a shared opportunity to expand discipline-specific career programming for arts and humanities students at the University of Florida. Together, the two units designed an experiential excursion to provide real-world exposure, professional connections and clearer pathways for students interested in careers rooted in the arts and humanities.
“We realized our humanities students weren’t receiving the same level of access to industry engagement as their peers in other disciplines,” said Christina Mattern, internship coordinator for Beyond120. “This collaboration allowed us to be intentional about access and help students see the breadth of opportunity available to them.”
Eighteen students joined the excursion to Orlando, FL in Fall 2025, where two site visits, the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art and the Orange County Regional History Center, built out a day of career exploration. The day combined guided site tours with career panels, professional skills labs and networking sessions with museum staff who had themselves studied the fine arts and humanities. Through these experiences, students gained insight into how their academic skills translate to real-world roles, with 94% of student participants reporting a greater understanding of career paths in their fields and 94% indicating an increased confidence in identifying the skills needed for their target industries.
Students described the excursion as both eye-opening and confidence-building for their future career preparation. “I got to see doors open for me in the professional world that I previously never thought possible,” said Ces Swinton (History, ‘27). Kyleigh Bailey (Anthropology, ‘29 with minors in Zoology and Geology) added, “Each museum brought something new to the table and I felt engaged throughout the entire day. This excursion connected me with real people with real connections in the field I’m interested in working in! I gained valuable experience talking to potential employers and increased my confidence.”
Excursions allow for valuable, real-world feedback from industry experts. To students who want to pursue the arts or humanities, one of the trip’s site hosts, Kris Steele, suggests considering the intersections of technology and a chosen area of expertise: “museums, historically, have struggled to adapt consistently or seamlessly and are often stuck playing catch-up. Operational skills in systems technology are always marketable and needed.”
Education and co-advisor for this excursion. Photo by Joe Uong/Academic Advising Center.
Career Connections Center’s Manager for Career Pathways – Human Services, Consulting, and Education Zita Gonzalez, who was also co-advisor for this excursion, echoes Steele’s advice, encouraged students to “think about how you tell your story. Employers want to know not just what you’ve done, but how your experiences have shaped you. Learning to articulate that in a compelling way can make all the difference.”
University of Florida initiatives like Beyond120 and the Career Connections Center provide intentional programming for supporting students as they navigate their college-to-career transitions. Through targeting discipline-specific opportunities, like the Orlando arts and humanities excursion, the university expands career exploration while fostering connections between students, alumni and employers, all while strengthening partnerships around Florida and beyond.
To collaborate with, host or support excursions in your field, please reach out to Beyond120 (beyond120@clas.ufl.edu) or fill out our quick partnership form to get started.
