Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) was abuzz Oct. 16 as more than 50 employers and 20 university transfer representatives descended on the campus for the fall Opportunity Fair.
The fair, which is held twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, is open to the EMCC community as well as the general public. More than 250 people attended the event, which connects employers with job seekers and those looking for internship and service-learning opportunities. Transfer specialists are also on hand for students interested in transferring to four-year universities.
“Estrella Mountain Community College is always excited to host its annual Opportunity and Transfer Fair,” said Kristina Scott, Director of Student Services - Career and Educational Planning. “Each year, there is an amazing network of businesses, organizations, and university partners joined to offer employment, internship, and service-learning opportunities.”
The Litchfield Elementary School District (LESD) has been a staple at the fall fair, and over the years has provided numerous job opportunities to students.
“We typically hire a lot of students from these Opportunity Fairs,” said Sandra Wright, LESD Classified Personnel Assistant. “We have a really great extended day program. It’s an after-school program that our campuses offer for all of our students, so the schedules typically work really well with college students.”
Students who are hired by the district work part time Monday through Friday.
“It’s an ideal schedule for students who have school in the morning, need a job, and possibly even need to go to school at night,” Wright said. “It gives them that flexibility.”
Opportunity Fair goers began the day by picking up their “passports,” which they were encouraged to take to the “Employer,” “LinkedIn Photobooth,” “Maricopa CareerLink (MCL),” and “Transfer” zones to get stamped.
Only two hours into the four-hour event and Abriana Uriarte was well on her way to collecting all five stamps.
“I’ve visited about seven booths,” the EMCC freshman said. “I don’t know what I want to do yet so I want to get an idea of where I fit in and what jobs are hiring.”
Fellow freshman Alyssa Moronis took full advantage of the Transfer Zone to learn more about university transfer programs.
“I want to find out what I can do right now to be prepared for when I transfer,” she said.
The LinkedIn Photobooth was a popular stop as attendees lined up to have EMCC Multimedia Technologies Institute (MTI) students snap their pictures and deliver professional headshots.
“LinkedIn has certain requirements for their photos, especially user profiles, they have to be 500 pixels by 500 pixels,” said Bo Brady, an MTI student. “Here, we take your photo and then edit it to be exactly that size so you can instantly put it into your profile.”
Professional pictures are a must for career seekers, he added.
“They always make you look better,” he said. “Yes, you can take a very nice photo nowadays with an iPhone, the cameras are amazing, but proper lighting is crucial.”
EMCC is already in the planning stages for the next Opportunity Fair planned for April 2020. Students, businesses, and community members are encouraged to stay tuned!v