More than 100 Waynesburg University students participated in the second-annual Resume Madness competition, which concluded on Friday, March 27.
Resume Madness is a bracket-style contest where student resumes are compared head-to-head every week in March until a winner is determined for each bracket. Through this program, hosted by Waynesburg University’s Pathways Center, students receive resume feedback in a fun, competitive and interactive way. Resume Madness also demonstrates how the job search process can work by comparing a group of resumes and, ultimately, having one person selected at the end of the process.
In total, eight brackets were created for this event, including brackets for six participating spring semester courses as well as two general brackets.
Of the 111 student resumes reviewed during the event, eight were selected as the contest winners:
- Alivia Ammons, senior nursing major
- Emily Barker, senior criminal justice administration major
- Thomas Burke, senior biomedical science major
- Kyle Casella, junior business management major
- Giovanni Cipoletti, senior cybersecurity and forensics major
- Madison Dokos, Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling student
- Kristina Proksch, senior environmental studies major
- Emily Stutzman, senior criminal justice administration major
Burke also won his resume bracket during the 2025 Resume Madness contest, making him a two-time champion for this event.
In addition to resume feedback, winners received a gift card and, perhaps most importantly, bragging rights.
The participating courses in this event were Theory and Techniques of Career Counseling instructed by Dr. Sarah Bell; Research Methods instructed by Dr. Tracy Dohn Cummins; two sections of Current Issues in Criminal Justice instructed by Professor Timothy Gilbert; Professional Development Workshop instructed by Instructor Samantha Pete; and Organization and Administration in Health Science instructed by Dr. Kimberly Wise. In addition, two general brackets were included due to high student engagement. The general brackets were split into two categories: business and humanities, and science, technology and mathematics. From the spring of 2025 to the spring of 2026, student participation in this event increased by 200%.
In addition to resume reviewers from the Pathways Center, guest reviewers from PA CareerLink – Greene County and Waynesburg University’s Alumni Council assessed and scored resumes for this event, offering students comprehensive feedback for improving their resumes.
Waynesburg University’s Pathways Center offers free career development support for students year-round. Services include resume and cover letter review, job search assistance, mock interviewing and more. For more information or to request career support, email pathways@waynesburg.edu.
