The Business, Human Services, and Government Career Fair hosted by Valparaiso University at Harre Union was a great success today. Students on the hunt for government jobs had the wonderful opportunity to chat with personnel from The Federal Bureau of Investigations, The House, The Senate, The Internal Revenue Service, and the Indiana Society of Enrolled Agents.
The Senate has several Internship opportunities for next summer. Students of varying backgrounds are needed from working side by side with senators creating the daily legislative agenda, to being a videographer and streaming sessions.
Adam Jones, Legislative Director for the Senate Democrat Caucus explained that he himself accepted an internship with the Senate when he was an undergraduate.
“One day there was a job fair much like this one, and I wandered into it not even knowing it was going on. Someone told me about the internship with the Senate, and I thought that would be something really interesting. So, I applied, and the very next day I got the job. I immediately fell in love,” Jones said.
Jones explained that about half of the interns know what to expect and leave with a real drive to keep on the political path, while the other half sort of end up discouraged by the reality of the amount of effort and stamina it takes to make changes in government. Those who want to stay the course and persevere find it very rewarding.
“The environment is actually really fun there,” Jones said.
Police departments and the armed forces were also present at this networking event.
For those with social work ambitions, many organizations from the area were present, looking for interns as well as fulfilling permanent positions.
United Way was on the search to fill various Americorps program roles throughout Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, and Starke counties. The paid internship gives members money toward their education upon completing their hours as well as health insurance and a living allowance.
“We take a variety of backgrounds. The qualification is they have to have at least a high school diploma. We have lots of social workers, marketing majors, and really anybody is welcome to serve. Pretty much whatever a student is interested in, we can pretty much try to find something that fits in with their knowledge and skills or their career trajectory,” Rebecca Weber, the Americorps program director, said. United Way is currently recruiting for positions such as director, marketing, event planning, volunteer recruitment, and senior volunteer program.
Allison Thomas of Midwest Center for Youth and Families had a very fun and welcoming table set up with her colleague Jaci Banks. The center is a residential facility for youth who struggle with behavioral, emotional, or mental health challenges.
Locations are in both Valparaiso and Kouts, and they focused on three different positions today. Masters level therapists, behavioral health workers, and nurses are being sought.
“The kids sleep here, go to school here Monday through Friday. We are a 24 hour operation. The kids come here really sick, and we work with them to make a big difference in their lives so they can go home a lot more stable,” Thomas said.
Priceless real-world experience can be obtained while making a difference in the lives of others through so many of these opportunities presented here today.
Business, marketing, and finance majors were also able to network with the area's finest and most popular banking institutions at the career fair.
Centier offers a wonderful summer internship program where students experience four different areas of banking: sales and business development, client experience, data analytics, and risk management.
Many students came to visit Andrea Ramirez at her Centier station. “We’ve seen a lot of finance students or those interested in investments. Marketing majors is another popular one,” said Ramirez.
The unique thing about Centier’s internships is that students get to experience four different departments, and the Spark Internship allows students to continue their internships the next summer and build on those skills from the year prior.
First Source Bank was another financial institution present that really saw great traffic today from prospective candidates.
Amy Clark, a business major at Valparaiso University, said she thought it was a great event where even free professional headshots were offered. She not only got to speak with several banks about interns, but she also talked to some universities about graduate school. “I really thought there was a good variety of career opportunities here,” said Clark.
The chance to leave the University with a career in hand seems favorable for Valparaiso students. Events like these give them the opportunity to learn more about themselves as well as what to expect once that tassel on their graduation caps has turned.