Career Fair caps off Alcorn’s annual Career Week
For staff and students alike, Career Week, hosted by Alcorn State University’s Office of Career Services, is another worthwhile Alcorn event.
The annual week of events, which began Monday, Sept. 26, ended with a Career Fair in the Davey L. Whitney HPER Complex Thursday, Sept. 29. Events centered on preparing students for their future careers.
Various companies and graduate schools set up booths across the gym floor to listen to students eager to discuss their futures. United States military branches and local companies represented a few of the wide variety of jobs available.
After attending the career fair for years as a student, Marshun Watkins returned to Alcorn as one of the employer representatives. Watkins is an assistant branch manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Ridgeland, Mississippi. A Jackson, Mississippi native and Spring 2021 alumnus, Watkins was excited to help students and serve as an example of students achieving success once graduating from Alcorn.
“I love sharing my knowledge of the business,” said Watkins. “I love that I can give back and share my knowledge with the students at Alcorn.”
Job or internship offerings are not the only things that students can benefit from at the career fair. Students experienced how networking is a fundamental part of the event and the professional world.
Ireona Barry, a social work major from Biloxi, Mississippi, attended the fair and left with guidance.
“The best thing I gathered is the career advice from all the professionals, especially the hiring managers. It is important to get their insight on what we need to do as students,” said Barry.
Even a short conversation can have an impact on the future of a student. Netina Finley of Uniformed Services University (USU) understands the power of discussion. Unable to attend the career fair last year due to scheduling, the representative from the Maryland graduate school wants to see more HBCU graduates enrolled at USU.
“It is important for us to get out here, so students know who we are and what we do,” said Finley.
