Eager to explore future opportunities, St. Joseph’s College students flooded the Hill Center Oct. 30 to attend the College’s annual Internship and Graduate School Fair.
Omila Harilal, a junior mathematics and computer science major, said she found the fair — that included more than 50 colleges and employers — very beneficial.
“It allows employers to see a side of you that your resume can’t show,” said Harilal, holding informational flyers from several companies she was interested in.
Harilal explained that finding an internship can be a challenge before you get real-world experience, but meeting employers in person gives students a chance to explain the diverse skills they have to offer.
Yesenny Fernandez, a senior majoring in computer information technology, with a minor in studio art, said it’s convenient having both graduate schools and employers in one place. She explained that when she graduates in May, she plans to take a semester off, before beginning graduate school in the spring of 2020.
The fair was the first time SJC Brooklyn’s career development and engagement office blended graduate schools with internship opportunities in the same event.
And the fairs appear to have been successful: Fernandez is approaching her one-year anniversary as a social management intern for Professionally Inspired LLC, a consulting business that partners with non-profit, high school and faith-based organizations to prepare the next generations for their futures — an opportunity she found through a previous job fair hosted at SJC Brooklyn.
Fair focuses on graduate schools
SJC Brooklyn baseball players Matthew Rienzi and Adam Schwartz, both senior business administration majors, had a positive experience at the recent fair.
Schwartz said the fair helped him get a better understanding of what he has to do to apply for law schools. Representatives from different universities helped explain the application process and that he could sit in on classes to help decide if a school is right for him, he said.
“You don’t just get the information by emailing,” Schwartz said. “You actually talk to someone and it’s more personable.”
The fair showed Rienzi that he can continue to be a St. Joseph’s Bear through graduate school.
“When I talked to St. Joe’s, they told me I can start getting credits as a graduate student next semester, even though I have one undergrad semester left,” Rienzi said. “The opportunity to accelerate the Master’s process is something I’m looking forward to learning more about.”
