College of Engineering hosts record-breaking career fair

The Lamar University College of Engineering held its bi-annual career fair at the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Center this past September, featuring a record-breaking 85 companies. This event allowed undergraduate engineering students to connect with local companies seeking top talent from Lamar University.

"The career fair enables our students to form relationships with industry partners, network, and practice interview skills," Anna Price, associate director of student success for the College of Engineering said. "It also provides a wealth of opportunities for our high-achieving students to secure internships or co-ops for the summer or the school year."

With around 300 students in attendance, many were able to secure interviews for internships, co-ops, part-time, and full-time positions.

"I received interviews from Olin, Dow, Motiva, Valero, and Indorama," Mariah Garcia, a chemical engineering sophomore said. "The process was a little stressful and overwhelming, but it feels really good to see hard work pay off."

College of Engineering alumni were also present, recruiting for the companies they currently work for.

"It was really enjoyable to come back and recruit for my current job," Dakota Emerson, process engineer at Indorama said. "Seeing the talent at Lamar made me proud to be an alumnus, and I am excited for the future of these students."

Students dedicated significant time to prepare for this prestigious event.

"In preparation for the career fair, I attended multiple company events at Lamar, including information sessions, mock interviews, resume reviews, elevator pitches, and other career development activities," Franky Alegria, a senior mechanical engineering major said. "I also went to the JCPenney suit-up event to buy business professional clothing for the fair."

Industry representatives were impressed with the students' readiness.

"We had lots of students who were interested in the company. They showed up to our table, asked lots of questions, and were clearly prepared to speak with us," Rayleigh Stiles, associate consultant at Trinity Consultants said.

The fair attracts a diverse range of companies from year to year, including major players in the oil and gas industry, as well as companies specializing in energy, construction, manufacturing, and more.

"Oil and gas are very prominent here, but HVAC is a very consistent business, and I think it's something that might be forgotten in this area," Greta Jackamonis, talent acquisition specialist for Texas AirSystems said. "We want to let engineering students know there are other paths they can take besides oil and gas."

This year's record-breaking turnout highlighted the career fair's effectiveness in connecting employers with Lamar University's top engineering talent. Industry partners agreed that Lamar produces engineering graduates they want to hire.

"We're trying to infuse Lamar engineers and graduates into our company," said Brad Hopper, managing consultant at Trinity Consultants. "Lamar has a great engineering school, and we love Lamar engineers."

For more information about the College of Engineering, visit lamar.edu/engineering.

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