{"id":108076,"date":"2025-12-04T13:21:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T18:21:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=108076"},"modified":"2025-12-04T13:21:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T18:21:50","slug":"umws-mock-interview-competition-helps-students-build-career-ready-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2025\/12\/04\/umws-mock-interview-competition-helps-students-build-career-ready-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"UMW\u2019s Mock Interview Competition Helps Students Build Career-Ready Skills"},"content":{"rendered":"

University of Mary Washington sophomore Maggie Alt’s strong response to a question about her greatest weakness impressed judges during last month’s Mock Interview Competition.<\/p>

From left: Mock Interview Competition finalists Elaina Dongieux ’27, Maggie Alt ’28 and Zoë Mueller ’26. Alt won the competition, held every other year for UMW’s Student Alumni Ambassadors to help them hone career-launching strategies and techniques. Photo by K Pearlman Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>

“I told them I need time and a few conversations with people before I can fully open up and make connections with them,” said Alt, a historic preservation major, who added that UMW’s Student Alumni Ambassador<\/a> (SAA) program has helped her acclimate to others more quickly.<\/p>

The confidence-boosting moment – the judges applauded her thoughtfulness – helped Alt clinch the competition, held every other year to equip SAAs with career-launching strategies and techniques. Organized by UMW’s Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement, it’s one of numerous initiatives that help connect students with alumni whose advice and expertise can prepare them for Life After Mary Washington<\/a>.<\/p>

Alt was one of 20 students who vied for a fictional position planning programming for Mary Washington graduates. Yet, she received a real reward – an overnight stay at a regional alumni event<\/a> and a recommendation from Katie Turcotte, vice president for advancement and alumni engagement and executive director of the UMW Foundation.<\/p>

“I was thrilled, knowing I went up against such strong competition,” said Alt, who hopes to work in urban planning and geographic information systems (GIS). “I now know the mindset I need to bring to an interview and how to prepare for success.”<\/p>

The made-up job was updated to tie into competitors’ experiences as SAAs and to teach them about philanthropy, said Assistant Director of Annual Giving Cadi Treviño Pinto ’22, who was a competition finalist during her senior year at Mary Washington. Now the SAA staff advisor, she oversees students who support alumni and donor events, along with planning résumé writing workshops, networking mocktail mixers and dinners to teach professional etiquette.<\/p>

These events, along with Network MaryWash<\/a> – a platform designed to connect students with UMW’s vast network of alumni in various fields – build upon resources offered by the Center for Career and Professional Development<\/a> to help students strengthen their career-readiness skills.<\/p>

\"A <\/a>
A panel of judges including (from left) Fredericksburg Regional Alliance President Curry Roberts, Tara Corrigall ’82 and Vice President for Student Affairs Mike Walsh interview Elaina Dongieux ’27, a business administration and political science major. Photo by K Pearlman Photography. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
“After going through a challenging round, being able to practice questions that not only relate to your skills and experience, but ones that are more personal, make you feel like a more well-rounded interviewee,” said Elaina Dongieux ’27, seen here with Tara Corrigall ’82, a financial services director, and Curry Roberts, president of the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance. Photo by K Pearlman Photography. <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
2025 Mock Interview Competition winner Maggie Alt ’28, a historic preservation major, shakes the hand of Tara Corrigall ’82, who previously was a member of UMW’s Board of Visitors, the UMW Foundation Board of Trustees, and Alumni Association Board of Directors. A director at a financial services firm, she served as one of the judges in 2025’s Mock Interview Competition. Photo by K Pearlman Photography. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Students <\/a>
Members of UMW’s Student Alumni Ambassadors watched the finalists participate in the second round of interviews from the Hurley Convergence Center’s Digital Auditorium. Photo by K Pearlman Photography. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
From left: Vice President for Student Affairs Mike Walsh, Elaina Dongieux ’27, Tara Corrigall ’82, Maggie Alt ’28, Fredericksburg Regional Alliance President Curry Roberts and Zoë Mueller ’26. Photo by K Pearlman Photography. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>

The competition begins with an initial round of questions from judges, who score applicants on their answers, wardrobe, eye contact and body language, communication techniques and other factors. The top three advance to the final round, while others watch and discuss the interviews during a viewing party in the Hurley Convergence Center’s Digital Auditorium.<\/p>

“We were impressed to see these students rise to the stressful challenge of interviewing with highly experienced professionals in front of their peers,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Mike Walsh. Serving as a judge with Tara Corrigall ’82, a director at a financial services firm, and Curry Roberts, president of the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance, he said all three finalists excelled, but Alt’s personal anecdotes set her apart. “She displayed overall confidence, illustrated her answers with real-life examples and asked great questions.”<\/p>

Elaina Dongieux ’27, a business administration and political science major, gained confidence about interviewing for internships and jobs, and delivered a strong answer about personal skills she’d like to develop. “I’d love to learn multiple languages,” said Dongieux, who plans to pursue a career in government or corporate law. “It would help me build communication skills while making my workplace a more welcoming environment.”<\/p>

Zoë Mueller ’26, an international affairs major, relied on her previous experience interviewing for her current internship with the Institute for the Study of War, a public policy research nonprofit in Washington, D.C. She felt prepared for some questions but also knew how to think on her feet.<\/p>

“Being in SAA has absolutely helped with my interviewing skills,” said Mueller, who plans to apply for graduate programs focusing on the Middle East and international affairs. “This competition gave me much more confidence in myself as a candidate.”<\/p>

Learn more about the <\/em>Student Alumni Ambassador<\/em><\/strong><\/a> program at the University of Mary Washington by contacting Assistant Director of Annual Giving Cadi Treviño Pinto ’22 at <\/em>ctrevino@umw.edu<\/em><\/strong><\/a> or 540-654-1153.<\/em><\/p>

This story originally ran on Giving.umw.edu<\/a>. <\/em><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

University of Mary Washington sophomore Maggie Alt’s strong response to a question about her greatest weakness impressed judges during last month’s Mock Interview Competition.“I told them I need time and a few conversations with people before I can fully open up and make connections with them,” said Alt, a historic preservation major, who added that 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