The Career Development Center’s staff offers a wide range of services to help you clarify your interests and skills, learn about career options, and find work that is meaningful and satisfying for you. Career counseling is available for students at any level — frosh through post-doc — to assist you at any stage in your career planning process. It is especially useful for students to have a counseling appointment early in their Stanford career to help make the most of your time at Stanford. We can support you in exploring opportunities and expanding options, developing an understanding of your skills, workstyle, and values that will provide a template as you make choices about your worklife.

• clarify your interests, skills, values, and workstyle
• learn about options and explore them through special projects, internships, summer/part-time jobs, meetings with alumni contacts or mentors, etc.
• translate information about yourself and the world of work into a career development plan
• understand effective strategies for obtaining a job

Career Counselor Profiles

Lance Choy, Director
Lance has an M.S. in counseling and a B.S. in Economics and Sociolgy. He has worked at Stanford since 1986 as a generalist career counselor and liaison to the Asian American student program. He also oversaw all employer relations and programs for approximately seven years.

Kathy Campbell, Assistant Director, Administrative Services
Kathy has been a member of the CDC staff since 1979. She graduated with a major in Psychology with an emphasis on Guidance and Counseling. Kathy is the specialist for students interested in careers related to education. She works with students and alumni who are interested in teaching K-12 in both public and private schools. Kathy is also the CDC liaison to the American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian program.

Kristin Conner, Career Counselor
Kristin has an M.S. in Counseling, specializing in Career and College Counseling, and a B.A. in Psychology. Kristin serves as liaison to international students and specializes in students who want to work/intern abroad. She co-supervises the CDC's Peer Counseling Program, and she has experience assisting students with internship resources and planning, and integrating academic and career goals.

Laura Dominguez-Chan, Career Counselor
Laura has an M.A. in Counseling Psychology and graduated from Stanford University with her Bachelors in Sociology. She has worked in the career counseling/coaching field for over 14 years. Laura is the science career specialist and also serves as a liaison to El Centro Chicano.

Stephanie Eberle, Career Counselor - Graduate Students
Stephanie has a M.Ed. in Clinical Counseling. Stephanie has experience within both the community agency and student affairs realms. Her primary focus is on graduate students and post-doctoral students. She is the liaison to the Women's Center.

Margot Gilliland, Career Counselor
Margot has an M.S. in Counseling with specializations in Career and College Counseling. She has years of experience in non-profit and medical organizations. Margot is the arts/media/communication specialist, and also is the liaison to students with disabilities. Margot also co-supervises the CDC's Peer Counseling Program.

Veda Jeffries, Assistant Director of Counseling Services
Veda has an M.S. in Counseling with specializations in Career and College Counseling, and a B.S. in Human Relations and Organizational Behavior. She has several (15) years experience as a corporate manager in public relations, community relations and HR. Veda is business career specialist and oversees diversity programs and the career resource library. She is also the Career Development Center's liaison to the Black Community Service Center.

Espie Santiago, Career Counselor
holds an M.A. in Career Development. She has experience working with employers to develop jobs and internships, and also worked in the biotech industry for six years. Espie specializes in assisting students with internship resources and planning, and integrating academic and career goals. Espie also serves as the liaison to the UAC and the undergraduate class officers.

Sam Rodriguez, Assistant Director of Counseling Services
Sam has an M.S. in Counseling with Career and College concentrations, and a B.A. degree in psychology and sociology. He has over 12 years of international business experience in marketing communications. Sam is the Public Service Career Specialist and liaison to the Haas Center for Public Service. His previous career counseling experience has included working with liberal arts and engineering majors, MBA candidates, and international students. Additionally, he currently serves as the liaison to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center.

Marlene Scherer-Stern, Alumni Networking Specialist
Marlene Scherer Stern has an M.A. Higher Education. Marlene has many years of student services experience in higher education and career counseling with an interest in the sciences. Recently, her focus has shifted toward programs and resources connecting students with alumni for career exploration, networking and mentoring experiences.

CDC Peer Counselors

Benjamin Yung-Ping Chang is a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Product Design. From Houston, Texas, he has spent the past two summers helping out with a technology education start-up company. His most recent internship at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, CA as an Engineering Integration Intern in Missile Defense Systems allowed him to explore the aerospace and mechanical engineering industry on a detailed level. He is part of the Stanford Canoe and Kayak Team and balances his time between work and outdoor activities. This is Benjamin's second year as a Peer Counselor.

Miguel Craig is a senior majoring in Materials Science and Engineering. In addition to his duties as a Peer Counselor, he is involved with Gamma Zeta Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and the Stanford Society of Chicano/Latino Engineers and Scientists. This is Miguel's second year as a Peer Counselor.

Mary Perez is a senior majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities with a minor in Spanish. This past summer she conducted fieldwork in Chile for her honors thesis through a URO Major Grant. Interested in ethnomusicology and Latin American music and dance, Mary is writing her thesis on Chile's national dance, the Cueca, and Chilean identity. Mary's career interests include teaching, public service, and non-profit organizations. This is her third year at the CDC and second year as Peer Counselor.

John Smithson is a senior from Encino, California majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He has worked at Pepperdine University's Career Services Office for six summers and at Stanford's Career Development Center for four years. He has also worked for ExxonMobil, Ford Motor Company, and the US Department of State, where he had mechanical engineering summer internships. This is John's fourth year as a Peer Counselor.