Donald Keough, News Editor–

While sitting at a booth, Hailey Tran ‘27 chatted with students about her summer internship. 

“There are so many people who have come up and talked to me,” Tran said.

There were a number of other recent student interns at this year’s Big Red Career Expo, on Sept. 18. These showcases were a new feature of the fair. 

Tran became interested in her internship after her peers shared positive experiences. At the fair, she hoped to do the same for others. 

“A lot of my friends didn’t know about this opportunity when they were freshmen or sophomores,” Tran said. “So I would love to spread the word for more people to apply and have a chance to work with the office because it was a great experience.” 

This was the fourth career fair that has been organized by the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Career Exploration.   

The fair is designed to help students connect with employers, explore opportunities, and learn about what each organization has to offer. Employers host tables at the event, giving students the chance to introduce themselves and make connections. 

Jessica Hall, the director of industry partnerships, said that she thought the internship tables were a valuable part of the fair. 

“It was great to give them a platform to share their experience, and also to feel really welcoming for students of all ages,” Hall said. 

The internship tabling, as well as campus resources and graduate school tabling, were new additions to the event. In total, more than 400 students attended at the Mitchell Center, where the event was held.

The fair started with humble beginnings, which was originally held in a much smaller space in Knobel Hall. 

“We probably broke the fire code,” Hall said. “Over 400 students [went into] Knobel Hall for 20-some companies.”

Hall helped start the first career fair and it has grown by integrating student feedback.

“We want to make sure we’re providing the types of opportunities that students want,” Hall said. 

The fair focused on three Knowlton career communities: technology; data and science;

marketing, sales, and communication; and financial services, consulting, and business. 

The three other career communities will have their own fair in the spring. Hall said that one of the reasons the fairs are divided by community is because the employers featured often have recruiting seasons respective to when the fair is hosted.

“When you come to this event, you meet companies that are mostly hiring now,” Hall said. She also noted that some students may not realize that  part of the Knowlton Center’s job is to help students understand this timeline.

In addition, Hall also hopes that students feel like employers want students from Denison. She said having alumni participate in the fair is crucial.

“My favorite part about it is how many alumni come here,” Hall said. “I think that’s what makes this different from other career fairs at large schools, where they just send their HR reps.”

One of the returning alumni, Spencer Crawford ‘22, hosted a table representing John Carroll University. She currently is a student in their MBA program while also working as an administrative assistant. 

She said she had learned about the event after reaching out to David Snider, the senior associate director of marketing, sales and communication for the Knowlton Center, who had helped her build her resume when she was a student. 

“I reached out to David because we wanted to start forming connections with different schools and seeing if there are  any pipelines we can form… for undergraduate students here,” Crawford said. 

Crawford said she was pleased to have the opportunity to speak with students again.

“It’s really nice to get back and see what students are up to now,” Crawford said. “I’ve only been gone for three years, but I feel like there’s already so much growth that’s starting.”

One of the students at the event, Evan Goodgee ‘26, said that the fair was a good opportunity for him as he looks for schools post-college. 

“The career fair has been awesome,”  Goodgee said. “I love Denison, but the fact that we’re in Granville makes it a little isolating. Getting all these companies here is really nice.”

Although he found his previous summer internship through a class he had taken, Goodgee said his goal was to form new connections at the event. The spring career fair will also be held in the Mitchell Center. The career communities featured will be healthcare and clinical research; social impact, education, and government; and visual, written, and performing arts. 

“We were very pleased with the flow [of students] this year,” Hall said. “It’s just great to have events like this so students feel comfortable and feel like the Knowlton Center is supporting them.”