Students connect at job/transfer fair

By Mallory Stiles
Associate Editor

The LCC Job and Transfer Fair hosted over 90 companies and 28 universities March 22, giving students a chance to make personal connections with future employers and educators.  

Both the job and transfer fairs are an annual occurrence at LCC. Rebecca Sowa, internship development manager and co-coordinator of the event, said this is the first year both fairs were done at the same time and place.

“We have offered the job fair every year up until 2020, so this is our first in-person year back,” Sowa said. “We have employers that reach out and, when we plan it, we also send out our distribution list to companies we work with that we know are recruiting. They register and then we market them to students.

“All students, alumni and the general public are invited. It is a free event for both employers and job seekers.”

Sowa offered general advice about resumes and attire, recommending that students dress to impress, and to bring some sort of contact information, whether that be a business card or a resume.

The other co-coordinator of the event was LCC University Center Systems and Operations Manager Graham Berke.

“This is the first year that we have done a joined event, but this is our 14th year holding the Transfer Fair,” Berke said. “It doesn’t matter what questions you have; you can come and talk to the schools.

“You can apply. You can talk to the advisers. You can explore degrees you might not have known were a thing. If you already have a program in mind, that’s great. Come and talk to an adviser. If you want to transfer, we always say, ‘Start here to get there.’”

The event was buzzing with foot traffic, there were lots of smiles. Henrick Jones attended and said he was looking for an employment opportunity and a possible summer internship.

“It’s going well,” Jones said. “A lot of employers showed out and it’s been a great opportunity to talk to people. I have talked to about 10 employers so far.”

Aidan Gallagher, an LCC student on his way to Michigan State University, said he most appreciated having an in-person option as opposed to an online experience.

“I think it’s great that you get to talk to people who actually represent colleges,” Gallagher said. “You get to see how the transfer experience will actually go. … When you look online it’s just asking for an application, so to actually get to talk to people and see their face really helps.”

Another student, Zinabu Awudu, said it was the smiles and variety of booths that drew her in.

“So far, it’s been great,” Awudu said. “There are a lot of options and the people are so nice.”