More than 175 students signed in at the Annual Haskell Career Fair held at Coffin Complex last Friday. According to event coordinator, Angelina Adams, vendors saw more students this year than in past years.
“This year a record number of students came out to connect with all the great opportunities provided for them here,” said Adams, Haskell Career Counselor.
Among the 40 vendors at the fair, first time vendors set up tables this year including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Gonzaga University. Adams built relationships with vendors by going to other career fairs and also utilized the registrar’s office to tailor vendor selection to student needs.
“Baker University is the top university that students request to have their transcripts sent from the registrar’s office, so that’s the reason we ask some of these vendors to come,” said Adams.
First time career fair attendee, Gabby Munoz, sophomore, especially enjoyed visiting with representatives from other universities. “I liked the out of state colleges like Gonzaga and ASU the most and it was pretty cool to see the police department there too,” said Munoz.
Munoz and her friends, Lexci Kimball and Zaina Iron Cloud Robinson said they came mainly for internships and guidance. One of the first tables the friends visited offered some great advice. “The lady there said she missed her chance at education, so she encouraged us to go with our heart and don’t let anyone ever tell us we can’t do something because as minorities, we can be misinterpreted,” said Kimball.
Robinson was excited about finding an opportunity with the FBI. “I found a special agents internship with the FBI. It was my favorite. I will definitely apply,” said Robinson.
The students all agreed that they would like to see the career fair offered two times in the year rather than once. Adams said that in the past the fair was offered twice per year but that was when the counseling department was staffed with six employees. Today there just isn’t enough staff to support the fair more than once per year, according to Adams.
Adams said the event would not have been possible without the help of Haskell facilities who placed the protective cover on the gym floor and set up the chairs and tables. In addition, Curtis Hall catered lunch to more than 120 vendor representatives.
Haskell staff, Danielle McKinney and Laurie Lacour, Student Conduct office, and Janet White and Lenora Goombi, University Services office were all involved in assisting with the career fair helping students network and take advantage of vendor information.
