When Justine Ferrara ‘18 attended the Career Fair, she didn’t expect to make any important business connections. To her surprise, however, that’s just what she did.

“While I was leaving, a man, seeing that my name tag read that I’m a computer science major, told me that he knows the CIO of the New York Public Library and that if I email him my resume, he will send it on,” Ferrara said.

These are the type of connections that the 500 students in attendance had the opportunity to make at the Career Fair, that took place on Sept. 25 in the Leslie C. Quick Jr. Recreation Complex.

The event is designed to give students a chance to speak with employers from a variety of fields and possibly acquire an internship or even a full-time job.

The Career Fair is organized every year by the Career Planning Center, with the intention of giving students an idea of their options after graduation.

“We hope that students have an opportunity to network with a variety of companies and begin to build relationships that will support them in the future as they seek out internships, full-time employment or graduate school programs,” Tyler McClain, associate director of career planning, stated.

According to the Director of the Career Planning Center Cathleen Borgman, 112 employers were available to students at the Career Fair, spanning across various disciplines like engineering, finance, accounting, digital media and everything in between.

Borgman feels that those who arrive with an open mind about their future will find the Career Fair helpful.

“Almost any major transfers over to a lot of different types of jobs,” Borgman said. She said it’s short-sighted for students to assume they won’t find an internship or full-time job at the Career Fair if the specific career they had in mind isn’t featured there. These students might find occupations they never thought of if they come with an open mind.

Senior Margaret Siu also feels that the Career Fair is “definitely not geared towards people who know exactly what they want.”

“Just because I’m a biochemistry major, I don’t necessarily have to go into a science career,” Siu said. “The fair and the companies that were there allowed me to see my options.”

The Career Fair has proved to be very effective in helping students find what they want to do after they graduate.

Senior Jameel James found his current occupation as a financial representative with the help of the Career Fair.

“I knew that I needed a job after graduation, but I didn’t know what kind of job I wanted. The Career Fair really helped me narrow it down to something that fits my personality and my work ethic,” James said.

While the Career Fair is very helpful for upperclassmen in their search to secure internships or full-time jobs, the fair does provide benefits for freshmen and sophomores as well.

For Cristina Agudelo Rivera ’18, the Career Fair was a chance for her to get a head start on her job search.

“I wanted to get internship applications and information about the actual internships that are available for my major,” Agudelo Rivera said.

For anyone who didn’t attend the Career Fair or didn’t find what they were looking for, the CPC will be holding another fair in the spring.

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---- Managing Editor Emeritus---- English: Professional Writing

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