Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. President | St. John's University website

Students from various class years and majors attended the 2024 Fall Career and Internship Expo at St. John’s University on September 26. The event, organized by University Career Services, took place at Taffner Field House and featured over 100 employers recruiting for full- and part-time positions as well as internships.

The career fair included employers from diverse sectors such as health care, law enforcement, social services, and education. Some employers were returning visitors, while others, like the social-service organization Kommissary, were participating for the first time. Thoria Ali of Kommissary noted the organization's alignment with St. John's values: “We share so many of St. John’s values; we both are so mission-focused,” said Ms. Ali, Human Resources Manager at Kommissary.

Employers varied in size from smaller nonprofits like MercyFirst to large corporations such as Bank of America, Broadridge Financial Solutions, and Deutsche Bank. Among the recruiters were St. John’s alumni Juan David Arrieta representing Deutsche Bank and Ivans Esperance representing Protiviti.

Mr. Esperance advised students to take initiative: “The more exposure you can get for yourself, the better. Building a network is so important.”

Students attending the expo had different goals in mind. Nicole Jurski, a first-year Accounting major at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, aimed to familiarize herself with the hiring process early on: “I want to get a feel for the hiring process so that when I am a junior I am ready to apply.” Nikita Persaud, a fourth-year student in a five-year Marketing Intelligence master’s program, was looking for immediate opportunities: “Even a summer internship... Sometimes if they like you, your internship can lead to a full-time job.”

Ellen Burti from University Career Services encouraged students to use the expo as an opportunity to refine their skills: “Regardless of class year or position of interest... see the expo as an opportunity to refine résumé writing and interviewing skills—and keep an open mind to new possibilities.”

Participants also updated their LinkedIn profiles with free photos provided at the event. Clarissa Phillips-Gibbons from Uncommon Schools NYC highlighted the rewarding nature of teaching: “You are an influence on the lives of students who will impact the future.”

Stony Brook Medicine attended in search of nursing candidates due to high demand in their field. Sadaf Faridi from Stony Brook University Hospital emphasized this need: “Nurses are always in demand; there are so many places you can work and so many things you can do.”