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Galloway, N.J. – Over 1,100 ��������app students printed out resumes and pulled out their most professional outfits for a day of networking and pitching at the biannual Career & Internship Fair on Thursday, Oct. 17, in the Sports Center.

According to Sofia Abreu ’11, director of Career Education & Development (CED), this year’s fair exceeded every goal they set. By 11 a.m., over 300 students made their way through the doors to weave through the tables of over 120 different companies. She expressed gratitude for how supportive and enthusiastic companies were leading up to the fair.

The feeling is mutual – recruiters such as Courtney Jefferson from praised the CED team for being a “source of support” for students.

The recruitment and onboarding specialist led a “Working Wednesdays” workshop in the Campus Center just a day before and was able to offer words of wisdom and advice on how to navigate the fair.

“I absolutely loved ‘Working Wednesdays,’ because even if we’re not the right fit for a student, being able to add value to their resumes, roleplaying interviews and helping them build confidence as a recruiter keeps me fulfilled,” Jefferson said.

“Right now, we’re looking for students passionate about people and life. We offer many opportunities for growth, and we’re willing to train. We just need to find the right fit.” 

It’s a great thing that she’ll meet students such as Roberto Vega, a major who is eager to embark on his career journey, and Kathlyne Casimir ‘21, an alumna of the program who is looking to transition from her current industry and remote work position.

“The fair has been awesome! There’s a lot of opportunities here that I can partake in and I’ll, hopefully, land a job with one of these companies,” Vega said. “I’ve only been to four tables so far: GovTech, ASRC, �����Գ����’s and . They’ve all definitely piqued my interest.”

“Because of COVID-19, I ended up being into so many different industries: HR, food and health. Right now, I’m definitely looking into health care support and informatics, something up that route,” Casimir said, holding up her iPad and showing off a Microsoft Excel sheet of companies and positions she is considering.

Prior to the event, the Roselle native researched and pre-applied to some of the companies that she knew would be in attendance.

“T����dzܲ��� Handshake, I looked up all the companies coming today and narrowed them down by industry, like insurance, healthcare and anything that starts with ‘NJ’ or state,” Casimir said. “I listed them, their websites and their open positions. If I applied, I let the recruiter here know.”

In addition to connecting with prospective employers, students had the opportunity to get their headshots taken by the Stockton chapter of the and connect with alumni who helped them practice their elevator pitches in the Student Decompression Zone. 

When they weren’t talking with students in the zone, Chukwuemeka (’13) and Desiree Nnadi (’16) were recruiting them for , of which they serve as owners and operators.

“The Student Decompression Zone was very well put together,” Desiree said. “We’ve met a lot of incredible individuals who are hungry for their next career or even just making those connections. I appreciate having the opportunity to talk to these students who are either already in our industry or even just to get the jitters out for them.”  

“Coming back to Stockton has been really awesome because this was where we all started. Education is vital and important, but also to give back to an institution that poured into me and my success has been exciting,” said Jamie Guzman ’13, public relations and communication manager for Mays Landing Grocery Outlet. “The students are asking lots of good questions and came prepared – it’s a really beautiful thing to see the passion and how much Stockton put into them.” 

Brittany Valenti ’21/M.A. ‘22, who works as a recruiter for Withum, a nationally ranked advisory and public accounting firm, echoed Desiree and Guzman’s sentiments, saying that she has loved coming back to campus to help support students on their way to becoming professionals.

Like Spring Oak, Withum sponsored the fair and participated in “Working Wednesdays,” in addition to serving as Employer-in-Residences for the 2024-25 school year. The companies also participated in CED’s “Resume Rush,” in which over 100 students were able to get their resumes reviewed prior to the fair.

“We’re definitely looking to do more and talk with more classes,” Valenti said. “I love Stockton, and I love coming back here. I’ll probably reach out again to Nancy (Stempin, associate professor of ) and be like, ‘So, what class am I coming to?’”

– Story by Loukaia Taylor

– Photos by Susan Allen

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