Career Success & Alumni Connections
Many experiences. One connected path from curiosity to career.
No matter your major, you graduate from Davidson and enter a world of possibilities where you are driven to learn more, to solve problems creatively, to meet challenges head on and to strengthen your community.
Employed or Enrolled
within 6 months of graduation, in jobs or top graduate programs.
Alumni Worldwide
Ranked #7 in the nation for alumni network strength by LinkedIn. Davidson's 26,000 alums create global career connections for graduates.
Real-World Preparation
Davidson students combine rigorous academic exploration with real-world research, global internships, and practical project experience.
Fulbright Producer
Davidson is the top producer of Fulbright Scholars among four-year colleges in the South, supported by personalized coaching through the Office of Fellowships.
of students complete at least one high-impact experience—such as an internship, mentored research, study abroad, or community engagement project.
Test Your Idea
Available per team via the Nisbet Venture Fund at the Jay Hurt Hub to test and launch a business idea before graduation.
Experience Matters.
You don’t just step from the commencement stage into your first job. You plug into a powerful, lifelong network equipped with the capacity to adapt, pivot and thrive.
Lauren Arkell '22
Spacecraft Functional Test Engineer, Firefly Aerospace
Lauren Arkell, a physics major aiming toward medical school, spent her Davidson years balancing complex problem-solving with Division I athletics strategy as an attacker for Women’s Lacrosse.
On-field communication and high-stakes teamwork gave her an early preview of what it takes to manage critical operations under pressure.
Kim Wayne, Head Coach, Davidson Women’s Lacrosse
“She's a natural leader and a team player. Her teammates looked up to her because of her work ethic, her knowledge of the sport and her ability to coordinate a strategy that had everyone working well together.”
A Spark from Orbit
At a campus event, Lauren watched Davidson alumnus and then-NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn ’82 speak live via satellite from the International Space Station and take questions from students.
Connecting with Marshburn demystified the aerospace industry. Seeing a fellow Wildcat in orbit made a career in space seem reachable.
Stepping into Aerospace
Lauren landed a NASA internship at the Glenn Research Center, in Ohio, after her junior year.
She studied passive coatings to shield equipment from destructive, glass-like lunar dust.
Her undergraduate research wasn’t just theoretical—it produced real-world data for NASA hardware that was destined for the moon.
After graduating in 2022, Lauren joined a NASA contractor at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, working on aerospace projects while keeping her eye on lunar surface initiatives.
Dan Boye, Professor of Physics
“Her personality, curiosity, and intellect drive much of what she’s doing. Her opportunities are limitless.”
The Leap to Commercial Space
When Firefly Aerospace posted an opening for its Blue Ghost lunar lander mission in Austin, Texas, Lauren jumped at the opportunity.
Just two years out of college, her specialized Davidson research on lunar dust made her an immediate asset for managing payloads on NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.
Lauren stepped up to the role of Flight Controller at Firefly. She ran 12-hour console shifts, sent direct commands to the Blue Ghost spacecraft, and managed safety, telemetry, and 10 scientific payloads.
She guided Blue Ghost to precision touchdown — the first successful commercial moon landing — and, then, commanded 14 days of surface operations. The information collected included data about the exact lunar dust coating payload she researched as a student.
Lauren now is a Spacecraft Functional Test Engineer at Firefly. She ensures that hardware, sensors and actuators for critical spacecraft systems — such as: thermal, guidance, navigation and control — operate as expected and are in sync with the flight software and avionics.
Fortune
Is College Worth It? Take a Look at a New Answer
Human-Focused Skills at a Premium in the Age of AI
Is college worth it in the age of AI? Davidson College President Doug Hicks explores how a liberal arts education builds adaptable, human-centered skills that deliver high ROI.
Launch Here. Land Anywhere.
A liberal arts education opens the road. Discover how Wildcats lead across industries and endeavors worldwide.
Andrew Ashur ’19
Piloting a drone-driven startup as CEO of Lucid Bots Inc.
Luis Cordero ’22
Finding strength in age as a Research Assistant for the Rutgers Institute for Health, Healthcare Policy & Aging Research.
Laurie Bingaman Lackey ’79
Connecting the cheetahs of the world as a Conservation Biologist.
Jacquelyn “Jackie” Rasulo Kasulis ’98
Prosecuting mob bosses as a Partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
Shaun Tyrance ’00
Chief Human Resources Officer and Head of Performance Psychology for Cadillac F1 and TWG Motorsports.
Hannah Lieberman ’18
Standing up her own NY comedy club as a self-employed comedian and owner of Q.E.D. Astoria in Queens, NY.
Ashley Mincey ’11
Finding a recipe for both business and teaching as a Freelance Culinary Artist.
Ross Boyce ’01
Preventing malaria in Uganda as a Clinician/Scientist at UNC Medicine’s Division of Infectious Disease.
You shouldn't have to compromise your future to afford your present. Davidson is one of fewer than two dozen U.S. colleges that admits domestic students regardless of ability to pay, meets 100% of calculated need, and provides financial aid packages with zero loans.
We evaluate your talent—not your bank account—so you can graduate unburdened by debt and ready to lead.