The Pierce Press

Students at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater connected with more than 150 local business owners at the annual Career Leadership and Development Career Fair Oct. 3, and they didn’t have to leave campus to do it.

The event was held in the Williams Center in hopes of connecting students with employers without driving or knocking on random business doors.

Kim Apel, the university’s career technology coordinator, planned the event.

Apel

She said the 164 businesses at this year’s event is a record. The fair caters to students from all majors, with potential employers ranging from the communication to science and technology fields.

“Every year the employers are really excited to see the students because Whitewater students are really talented. The employers get to come see the students, and the students get to do all of this without leaving campus,” she said.

Apel said the goal is to get students to attend the fair so they can network and meet possible employers.

“Each year we review our list of companies,” she said. “This year we payed special attention to inviting companies we haven’t had in the past, so we actually added 100 new companies to our list for this year’s event.”

One of those new companies this year was Aprilaire, a company in Madison that makes indoor air products like filters and humidifiers. Human Resources Generalist Amanda Day was impressed with the students in the company’s first trip.

“It’s wonderful,” she said. “There’s lots of professional looking students, and it’s nice to see their name and major and get to know them.”

Day connected with some students on the business app LinkedIn with the hopes of connecting for careers in the future.

But the business representatives weren’t the only people who thought the event was a success. For students like senior information technology major Bryce Anderson, it was a chance to take the next step.

“I’m graduating in December, and I’ve been to the fair all four years,” he said.

Anderson is trying to market himself to the employers with skills he has learned as a student such as blotching, a technology where databases and information are controlled by a group instead of one sole authority.

“I am talking to employers about seeing if they would need me for a job. A lot of companies are talking about the technology and I hope I can help them act upon it,” he said.

The fact that he can do that on campus is a big draw for him.

“It’s nice and easily accessible. It’s nice that I don’t have to go driving around because all of these great companies are right here,” Anderson said.

While she won’t graduate this year, fellow student Lauren Tripoli also said the event was worth her time. The junior marketing major was looking to network with businesses and find an internship.

As a freshman, Tripoli attended the same event and was nervous, so she didn’t talk to any businesses. She walked around for a bit and left. But as a junior, she made sure to make the most of her time.

“Now it’s more comfortable,” she said. “It’s really nice to have all of the companies here, and we can just walk up and talk to them. Yeah we’re all sweating and it’s intimidating, but these are really good opportunities. These people are here to help.”