FSU Shadow celebrates 10 years of connecting students with career opportunities

The FSU Shadow program will celebrate a decade of connecting students with employers, alumni and community partners during its 10-year anniversary celebration awards ceremony Friday, Nov. 20.  

Through one-day experiences, students explore career paths, build networks and gain insight into professions they may not have otherwise considered. 

Each semester since launching in 2016, FSU Shadow has given students opportunities to spend a day alongside professionals in a range of industries.  

“FSU Shadow has provided over 6,000 shadowing experiences in its 10 years, and we’re excited to celebrate the generous hosts who have made those experiences possible,” said Anissa Ford, senior assistant director of Experiential Learning. “It’s incredibly rewarding for the Career Center to facilitate these connections and help students discover possibilities by learning from professionals who have walked the path before them.”  

Ford said she is excited as FSU Shadow enters its second decade and the program continues to bring students and professionals together through experiences designed to turn career questions into firsthand knowledge, meaningful connections and opportunities for future success.  

For students, the experience often provides a level of career clarity that coursework alone cannot normally offer. Emma Valderrama, a political science and economics student, said FSU Shadow connected her with mentors and gave her confidence as she explored her career options. 

“As a first-generation student, it is often hard to find mentors that have done the path you want to pursue,” Valderrama said. “FSU Shadow allowed me to get firsthand advice and inspiration to pursue my career aspirations.” 

Students are not the only ones who reap the benefits of FSU’s shadow program. Jeremy Willis, an FSU alumnus and senior editor at ESPN, hosted students through virtual career experiences and developed additional opportunities for students to learn about the sports media industry.  

Willis has described his involvement with FSU Shadow as an opportunity to give back to the university and help students gain access to professionals and career perspectives they may not otherwise encounter.  

Surveyed students for the 2025-26 academic year reported that FSU Shadow helped them determine and/or meet their career goals, while all hosts reported being satisfied or highly satisfied with their experience. Students also gave the program an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5, reflecting the value they found in gaining career insight, building professional connections and experiencing the workplace firsthand. 

The program reached new milestones, welcoming more than 770 participants after receiving nearly 5,800 applications. The winter 2025 and spring 2026 sessions recorded the highest numbers of applications in the program’s history. During summer 2025, FSU Shadow expanded internationally for the first time through partnership with FSU’s Republic of Panama campus. 

Student applications for the FSU Shadow winter 2026 session open Wednesday, Oct. 14, and close at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4. To learn how you can get involved in FSU Shadow as a host or a student, please visit the FSU Shadow webpage.