Campus Jobs at Montclair: Preparing Students for Life After Graduation

Before most students hit snooze, Joziah Lopez is already unlocking his office door and preparing for the day while the campus is quiet. He’s nearly always the first to arrive at University College, arriving before the office comes to life with students seeking advice about majors and scheduling.

“Usually, I wake up around 6:30, grab a quick breakfast and head out. I get here about 20 minutes early,” says Lopez, a commuter from Newark. On this workday, Lopez juggles front desk responsibilities with helping to run an interactive “Major Mystery” event – “it’s like a murder mystery, but instead you’re solving which major fits best for you.”

His role, says Lopez, a senior majoring in Communication and Media Studies, is “a great opportunity to make money and have a job while also balancing schoolwork.”

Montclair’s Commitment and Career Value

Each year, about 2,000 students work in roles across campus – from IT and financial aid to student services and academic offices – gaining the kind of experience employers want. With a dedicated employment task force and cross-campus support, Montclair is redefining how campus jobs connect to growth.

We want students to see campus jobs as real work experience that provides real skills. Our goal is for all students to graduate with at least one experience they can use to launch their career.” – Assistant Vice Provost Chantelle Wright

That vision is taking shape through Montclair’s new WORK initiative (Work Opportunities and Real World Knowledge), which ensures student employees receive professional development and workplace training. All student workers complete new online coursework – the only program of its kind in New Jersey higher education.

To see the WORK initiative in action, we followed Montclair students who are gaining experience that goes far beyond a paycheck.

Building Campus Community

Gwen Dang is the Community Resilience Intern with the University Police Department, coordinating campus events, outreach and program support across the Montclair and Bloomfield campuses. She assists with advocacy, prevention, resource management and research, and evaluates projects. A senior majoring in Justice Studies with double minors in Psychology and Child Advocacy, Dang also works as a Special Events student worker, helping set up and manage campus events, including recent Commuter Life programming.

Leading Through Service

Samantha Almonte, a senior Public Health major, builds community connections and organizes service initiatives as a Community Partnerships intern for the Bonner Leader Program. She takes charge of Alternative Spring Break planning and leads large campus events. The position, “has empowered me to sharpen my event planning abilities,” she says.

Mateo Llano, a sophomore majoring in Public Health with a concentration in Health Education, Promotion and Advocacy, brings together students for campus-wide drives and cultural events as an Engagement Intern in the Bonner Leader Program, His work extends to toy, Thanksgiving and winter clothing collections and he credits the internship with teaching him teamwork, leadership and engaging with nonprofits. “The most important skill I have learned is communication, especially in team settings.”

Forging Career Paths

Ieema Dinnall, a junior in Business Administration, promotes career events and helps students connect with employers as part of her job as a student assistant in the Office for Experiential Education and Career Connections. She plays an important role in raising the post-graduation survey responses through outreach and commitment to connecting with students. She is also working to identify top hiring employers in the tristate area. “These skills that I’m learning will help me in the long run,” Dinnall says, including networking and collecting data. “Approving employers has helped me practice evaluating credibility and risk.”

Research and Outcomes

Research confirms that college jobs matter. Sociology Assistant Professor Daniel Douglas, who has studied how students balance work and school, emphasizes that working while in college significantly shapes students’ post-graduation opportunities.

“Balancing a job with college can boost your future earnings, especially if you finish your degree,” he explains.

As co-author of a Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center paper on the impact of student work during college, Douglas identifies several reasons for this trend. One key reason is that students who work during college gain valuable skills highly regarded by future employers. “Working while enrolled demonstrates both the credential of a degree and the employment history that employers value.”

National Recognition 

Montclair’s performance in the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2026 Best U.S. Colleges rankings can be traced to the financial success of recent graduates. Rather than just traditional metrics, these rankings emphasize how well colleges boost their graduates’ salaries compared to similar schools. A typical Montclair graduate can expect an average of $34,013 added to their annual salary. Compared against the institution’s average net price, this means most graduates recoup their investment in just one year and seven months.

Leveling Up with the WORK Course

Montclair’s WORK course is now live. Once students are officially onboarded as campus employees, they’re automatically enrolled in the course. It’s divided into two parts – the first modules are for new employees, while the later modules focus on professional skills, including leveraging work experience, building supervisor relationships and managing difficult conversations.

“Compared to other universities, I believe we stand out because many institutions are still working on how student employment fits into student success,” Wright says. “Montclair has built a community around it. To my knowledge, no other New Jersey university has a dedicated online course open to all students regardless of whether they have a job yet.”

Story by Marilyn Joyce Lehren