Education seniors at Texas A&M University-San Antonio showcased their skills and talents to potential employers this month at an event that turned the tables on traditional career fairs.
Employers from the education field visited campus April 10 to meet potential job candidates at a “reverse” career fair where students have tables showcasing their work.
“So, we’re looking for, obviously, hopefully, somebody who’s certified, somebody who would be a good fit for our campus, but ultimately, somebody that is really dedicated to the growth of kids and then their own self growth, because teaching is really hard,” said Hope De Lemos, principal at Klein Road Elementary in New Braunfels. “I’m also looking for somebody who has grit, because it is going to be difficult at times.”
At this job fair alone she picked 40 candidates to consider for open positions at her campus.
While the students waited at their booths, they seemed ready to talk to potential employers and show them why they stood out from other candidates.
Sabrina Deleon, Interdisciplinary Studies major, wore wings for her presentation of the butterfly life cycle.
“Mine is catered more towards science, but these are the lessons that I did in the life skills department with them while doing my clinical training,” Deleon said. “I love butterflies…I did my presentation on the butterfly life cycle, the plant life cycle and the solar system.”
The fields of study by the educators covered a wide range of topics including physical education, bilingual and special education.
They all hope to take their career to the next level and educate future generations.
“It’s their first time in a school setting,” Early Childhood Education senior Rosa Olveda said of her future students. “I want to have that positive impact because it only takes one teacher to flourish the rest of their academic school career.”
Students could apply prior to the event or walk in and take over an available table to participate and have exposure to 75 employers. This specific fair had 70 students looking to be employed.
“This reverse fair came to light about two and a half years ago, whenever we had more students than employers rather than more employers than students,” said Miranda Cristan Sharp, assistant director of Career Services at A&M-San Antonio. “So we figured we would take a creative approach to the job fair and kind of flip the tables. Think of this as, like, their own mini classroom to really showcase their skills, and it has just grown exponentially.”
For more information, contact Miranda Cristan Sharp at mcristan@tamusa.edu and visit JagSync for similar events.
