Mason students connect with alumni, employers at Spring 2024 Career Fair

On Feb. 21-22, more than 4,000 students made their way through the Johnson Center’s Dewberry Hall, speaking to 240 potential employers. Over the two days, George Mason University’s Spring Career Fair 2024 gave students and alumni opportunities to further their career aspirations. The first day focused on science, technology, engineering, and math-related fields, and the second focused on business, government, and nonprofit organizations.

According to Bernadette Davey, career fairs manager in University Career Services since 2005, Mason is known for its strong brand and great career fairs. “We are known for the diversity and quality of our students,” Davey said.

Saskia Campbell, executive director of University Career Services, said a lot of colleges struggle to keep their career fairs going, but Mason career fairs consistently fill to capacity. “The comments that we get back [from employers] say they are very impressed by how much effort students put in and how serious they are,” she said.

More than 100 alumni employer representatives, identified with green “alumnus” ribbons, attended, eager to connect with Mason students.

“We have been able to see how [Mason alumni] are able to come in and do well,” said Kate Desai, MBA '12, representing career fair sponsor FORVIS. “Mason students are really amazing cultural fits for our teams, and we have yet to have a bad experience.”

Mark, Marketing '01, representing the Central Intelligence Agency, said he is “happy to be back [as an alumnus] and feel a connection.” The CIA has a strong relationship with Mason and often looks to recruit students from the career fairs.

Altaf Patel, a 2021 MBA graduate representing the U.S. Postal Service, said, “It’s great to come back and help other future alumni. I like to be a part of the alumni team that helps students further their career goals.”

Students and alumni alike credited the career fair for helping them find their current positions.

Art history major Emma Paskey said a career fair helped her get an internship as an explainer at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. She wants to continue working for Smithsonian after graduation and said her internship has set her up for success. “My main impression of the career fair is how helpful everyone was. Everyone I interacted with wanted to help me find what was best for me, and the employers I talked to were more than happy to answer any questions I had.”

“It’s nice to be back and help students enter the field,” said Vanessa Adu, BA Psychology ’20. She found her current position at Birch, Stewart, Kolasch, & Birch, an internationally recognized intellectual property law firm, from attending the career fair as a student.

Fairfax County Therapeutic Recreation Services representative Melanie Zissios, a 2004 Mason graduate, got her first job with school-age child care from the career fair. She wants to give Mason psychology students similar opportunities.

Many students attended the career fair to find full- or part-time positions, but many came just to learn more about the job market.

“I wanted to see what companies are hiring,” said senior Elizabeth Boakye, who is graduating in May with a degree in Business. She was also hoping to find a full-time position.

Honors College student Juliet Reyes, who is majoring in government and conflict resolution, plans to graduate in May and attend law school. She went to the career fair to look for internships with federal government or private security companies. She also wants to learn more about the types of backgrounds these companies are looking for in candidates.

Senior Ethan Thomas, a government and international politics major, attended the career fair to practice talking to employers and get “practical job search experience.”

Many students were taking notes for the future. Computer science major Madison Sellers is a sophomore and attended the career fair to get an idea of what the job market looks like. “I want to see what the career fair looks like for when I want to come back later,” she said.