The West Gym at Humboldt State held the annual Career & Volunteer Expo on Feb. 15. Employers’ tables were placed systematically in rows, a photographer took free headshots for prospective employees and there was a designated table for students to fill out applications.
Studio art major Sam Donnell usually drops three hundred dollars on one class for initial art supplies. That amount doesn’t include extra art supplies over the course of the semester.
“I’ll take any job,” Donnell said. “I need art supply money.”
Mike Orr, Mad River Park supervisor, graduated from Humboldt State and said almost 100 percent of his recruitment comes from HSU.
Orr said HSU has changed over the years and such expos were not around in his day.
“I wish they had this when I was a student, because when you’re a student, you don’t know to access the information,” Orr said.
Social work and Spanish major Ana Monjaras works for the Academic and Career Advising Center. Monjaras helped create handouts and greeted guests at the expo.
“It’s really fun and helpful,” Monjaras said. “We are the first ones to know who’s coming.”
HSU alum and administrative support coordinator Shannon Berge has been part of the Academic and Career Advising Center since 2005.
“We really do try to get as many types of major jobs as possible to have a nice well-rounded fair,” Berge said.
HSU alum Amy Martin is the job development coordinator for the academic center. Martin worked for the center when she was a student, but now she coordinates it.
“It’s much bigger than it was when I started a long time ago,” Martin said.
Martin works with the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce and national recruiters to bring opportunities to the students.
“People reach out to us all year,” Martin said. “I keep a list. We have huge databases of the employers in and around the area. [There] are lots of different ways to recruit.”
The expo had 115 employers this year. Local employers were present, such as the North Coast Co-op, the Arcata Playhouse and Coast Central Credit Union.
“Seeing all the tables, the students networking and making connections with the employers is the best part,” Martin said.
