Event Planning

An ideal career field for a Christendom graduate

Event planning demands a high level of organizational skill, no matter the size of the event. The ability to juggle all of the details involved with an event, communicate those details to staff and constituents, and lead a team in executing an event, is crucial. Thankfully, these are skills imparted by a liberal arts education.

Christendom alumni learn event skills not just in the college’s education but also in its extracurricular offerings. Many students join the Student Activities Council, running events of varying sizes before even leaving college. Equipped with this practical knowledge along with the soft skills that come from a liberal arts education, they have gone on to open their own event companies, catering businesses, and more.

At Christendom’s Life on Tap alumni networking series, successful event planners have returned to campus to speak on how they used their liberal arts education and the career preparation they received at Christendom to find post-graduate success.

Watch the video recordings below.

Maria McFadden (’18) began her career as a florist for the Inn at Little Washington before taking on her current position as an event planner for the Hewell Events Group in Washington, D.C. Alex Klassen (’04) is the head organizer of the annual River Valley Festival, and she is also the development coordinator for Chelsea Academy, where she organizes their annual gala.

Shelagh Bolger (’10) is the VP for Hewell Events Group, an event planning company based out of Washington, D.C. Mike Brown (’87) runs the successful catering business, Downtown Catering Company, located in Front Royal, Virginia.