Hamline Initiative for Professional and Academic Liaisons (HIPAL)

HIPAL (Hamline Initiative for Professional and Academic Liaisons) aims to strengthen post-graduation outcomes for STEM students by providing them with opportunities for career development, professional mentoring, and networking with alumni, faculty, and workplace partners.

HIPAL career mentoring program

HIPAL works to connect STEM majors with STEM professionals for career mentorship. A current student at Hamline is paired with a mentor, an experienced leader, to provide guidance and support related to career exploration, professional development, and navigating the academic path toward their chosen field. The HIPAL mentoring program will require a time commitment between twelve and fifteen hours per semester for both students and mentors. To learn more about this program, you may contact Dr. Urvashi Sandhir at usandhir01@hamline.edu.

HIPAL coordinates an interdisciplinary one-credit, semester-long course that will help STEM students explore career options, identify and express their strengths, learn about the graduate and professional school application process, prepare materials for job or school applications, and practice for interviews.

HIPAL hosts events like networking opportunities with Hamline alumni and industry professionals, and panel presentations from graduate and professional students. These events are embedded into STEM courses to give busy Hamline STEM students the opportunity to participate in HIPAL events as part of the courses they are already taking.

HIPAL coordinates with other Hamline organizations, like the Career Development Center and the Honors Program, to bring exciting and helpful programming to Hamline students as they develop their career interests and skills.

HIPAL activities, events, and the mentoring program are open for all STEM majors at Hamline. Anyone can enroll in the HIPAL STEM Career Preparation course, attend in-course or extracurricular HIPAL events, or participate in the mentoring program.

Completing the HIPAL program

Students can work to complete the HIPAL program by participating in multiple HIPAL activities and events. Each HIPAL activity or event earns points. You may complete any combination of HIPAL activities and events to complete the HIPAL program and you can earn points for each one-day event that you complete. Points can be earned throughout your time at Hamline. 

• 20 points: completion of a HIPAL career preparation course (INTD 1980 - Special Topics: STEM Career Preparation with HIPAL)
• 20 points: completion of the HIPAL Career Mentoring Program
• 5 points: completion of a one-day HIPAL event in a STEM class (for example, an alumni networking day in BIOL 1510 or BIOL 1520) 
• 5 points: completion of a one-day HIPAL event that occurs outside of your regular classes (for example, a HIPAL-hosted panel presentation about STEM careers offered over convo hour)

40 points total completes the HIPAL program. Upon completion of the HIPAL program, students will receive a certificate of completion and earn some Hamline swag! Completion of the HIPAL STEM career preparation program can become an entry on your resume or CV that demonstrates your dedication to your career development. 

By completing HIPAL activities and events, students will:

• Build a professional network
• Explore STEM career options
• Understand their strengths and express them effectively
• Apply communication skills in professional settings
• Learn about finding and making the most out of internship opportunities
• Understand the application process for graduate/professional school
• Prepare materials for career and graduate/professional school applications

Hamline’s Career Development Center (CDC) hosts a number of events, workshops, job fairs, and professional development resources on their website, including access to Handshake, an online tool and app for students designed to make finding and posting jobs and internships easy.