By Caroline Bentley | Reporter
Career and Professional Development hosted the first camp fair of the 2016-17 school year on Tuesday.
The camp fair allowed students to speak face-to-face with several summer camps from across the United States.
“We love having the opportunity to go on college campuses and talk one-on-one with students to share why we love what we do and how special our camp is,” said Camp Olympia intern Alan Songer. “Summer camps are an incredible way to spend your summer or multiple summers. Getting paid to hang out with really great kids, teach them about Christ and grow in your relationships with fellow counselors and friends is something a corporate internship doesn’t allow you to have.”
Over 1,000 students attended the three-hour event held in the McLane Student Life Center according to the Office of Career and Professional Development website.
According to the Career and Professional Development website, this career fair was designed as a chance for students to present themselves professionally to potential employers, and demonstrate their communication skills.
Camp fairs can be useful for someone not currently in the market for an internship or full-time job for the summer. Through speaking with potential employers, interacting with fellow colleagues and gaining valuable experience into what the working world will be like, students left the fair learning a skill not taught in classes.
“Whether or not there was one that I was interested in, they all provided information on their camp, what they were looking for in an employee and the next steps to take when they are in contact with me,” said Snyder senior Megan McWilliams. “The camp fair was a great learning experience for someone my age because I now have an idea of how to begin the search for full-time jobs.”
Other than Monday’s event, many employers are available for on-campus interviews following the camp fair.
To help students and alumni prepare for the camp fair, the career and professional development and Hire-A-Bear websites offer a variety of tutorials and to-do lists to look over beforehand.
Students and alumni can prepare for future Career and Professional Development events by creating a professional profile on Hire-A-Bear, an online database that connects students to valuable resources and employment opportunities. according to its website.
“I will definitely be contacting at least one camp from the fair today. Camp fairs are under-appreciated by so many students and alumni. The opportunities available in just a few hours are unlike any other,” McWilliams said.
This semester, career and professional development has four career fairs, each one focused on specific areas of study. For more information on the upcoming career fairs or career and professional development events, visit the website at https://www.baylor.edu/cpd/index.php?id=863791.
