Alverno College Provides Free, Professional Headshots to Students

Students at Alverno College are able to get a professional headshot at no cost to them.

Alverno College’s Career Studio added an Iris Booth, a self-serve photo booth that delivers high-quality digital portraits for the modern professional. Students are able to walk in, have their head shot taken, touch them up on the spot and then upload their photos to their email.

“This levels the playing field for students who are underrepresented and can’t afford to have professional head shots taken,” said Cheryl Moore, PhD, executive director of career development at Alverno. It’s a dream of hers that is finally being realized.

The college is one of only 35 educational institutions in the country to provide this technology to students, and the only one in Wisconsin. Moore hopes to increase student engagement while bolstering their digital readiness. “Today’s graduates need to be technology-savvy, and this is one way we can help them achieve that.”

The Career Studio unveiled the photo booth on November 9 at a networking event that also featured a speed mentoring session and a panel on how to be your authentic self.

“The photo booth is very user-friendly, it gives students the opportunity to take pictures with different lighting and it gives pose suggestions,” said Daniela Garcia, an Alverno student who has used the Iris Booth. “I enjoy having the photo booth because it is flexible and there is no need to schedule a time and date.”

Students who use the booth have three photos taken, with an opportunity for one retake. Once the photos are taken, they have the ability to make edits to the photos, including cropping, removing blemishes and adding filters. Students then receive their finished photo via email within minutes.