The typical mellow lunch vibe of the DVC cafeteria was interrupted when students, businesses and Bay Area organizations flooded the cafeteria and adjoining Diablo Room for DVC’s Summer Job and Internship Fair on Wednesday, March 13.
Students were networking, signing email lists, taking business cards and learning more information about a wide range of professional fields.
“Every one was so friendly,” says Nora Pallotta, a 25-year-old prenursing student. “It opened my eyes to a lot of opportunities. Students are missing out if they’re not here.”
Isaac Mangrum, a 28-year-old Business Marketing student from Antioch, was pulling double-duty at the job fair. Mangrum was just coming off of his shift as a student volunteer when he decided to do some research into summer job positions for himself.
Says Mangrum, “I had not planned on visiting the booths. But there are so many interesting organizations here. I’m excited about a few different summer positions.”
Among the Bay Area businesses and organizations represented at the job fair were Beyond Chiropractic, Nolo Lawyer Directory, Fastenol Industrial and Construction Supply, College Nannies and Tutors, The Air Force Reserves, The Home Depot and Food Bank of Contra Costa County.
“I was surprised by how many different kinds of groups there were here today,” says Pallotta, who found out about the job fair through one of her friends.
For example, the San Ramon-based non-profit organization Made In A Free World, was one of the more non-traditional organizations represented at the job fair.
Berkeley resident Rachel Monas, 27, was working the MIAFW booth and raising awareness about human trafficking and modern-day slavery, which she defines as people working for little or no pay or under the threat of violence should they chose to leave.
“There are 27 million people enslaved worldwide,” says Monas. “One hundred years ago, people made most things by hand and by themselves. But, these days, with sweat shops and outsourcing, it’s almost impossible to own anything that wasn’t made (at least, in part) by modern-day slaves.”
Chemical engineering major Jordan Provost, 29, of Walnut Creek was taken aback by the humanitarian organizations that were represented at the job fair.
Says Provost, “I thought that this [job fair] was going to be purely business-related. But I’m also interested in politics and I care about people. So the [MIAFW] booth was really interesting and educational.”
Provost had already done a lot of research into summer jobs and internships in his field of chemical engineering. “But this [job fair] gave me a broader view of what businesses are looking for.”
Marty Jones, District Manger for Fastenal, says, “[The job fair] is a good chance for us to see what kind of students there are at DVC. I met a few students who seem to be a good fit for our company.”
San Ramon resident Erica Chew, 33, who represented Goals for Autism said, “We are meeting great people here today. There are students who are interested in education and psychology. We are also meeting students who have siblings who have autism and they want to learn more about how to get help and services.”
The Summer Job and Internship Fair was sponsored by DVC’s Career and Employment Services and the Pleasant Hill Recreation and Park District.