Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
Esthefany Rodriguez graduated from South Texas College nearly a decade ago with an associate degree in Sign Language Interpreting, and this year, she’s back on campus recruiting at the college’s annual Job Fair Expo, held every year in April.
Rodriguez, a student support specialist with McAllen ISD’s Regional Day School Program for the Deaf, was one of more than 60 industry partners and employers at the event ready to speak with STC students and alumni about career opportunities.
“It feels great being back on campus and creating awareness about what we offer to our community and the types of careers available to graduates of STC,” she said. “The RGV has a large deaf and hard of hearing population, and it isn’t talked about enough. So, events like this help us educate and I know that we can find qualified individuals from STC to serve within our school and district. We’re ready to hire.”
Representing the many programs STC offers, the job fair includes numerous companies that can offer opportunities to students in programs ranging from Welding and Construction to Education and Business.
The event included local and federal law enforcement, Terracon Consultants, Noble Texas, South Texas Health System, Driscoll Children’s Hospital, Lone Star Bank, Region One, Kiewit Corporation, Hacienda Ford Entravision and Telemundo, to name a few.
Preparing students to be career-ready is only one step in the college journey, the next is introducing them to companies and networking, said Jose Moreno, coordinator of STC’s Career and Employer Services.
“This event is the result of the outreach efforts our office does throughout the year to ensure our students and grads have career opportunities available to them all the time,” Moreno said. “Our students are in demand and our employers know they can find quality candidates on our campus, that’s what makes our job fair popular among these various companies. We hope our students take advantage of this opportunity and find their next career.”
Students like Kajal Desai, who is graduating this May from STC’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program calls this annual job fair a great opportunity for students and employers to showcase their skills and what they offer, respectively.
“Graduating soon, means that I’m on the hunt for a place where I can start my new career,” she said. “With health care employers like South Texas Health System, Valley Baptist and Driscoll, I’m sure my peers and I can find our place in our region’s medical system.”
Additionally, not only was Desai looking for a job opportunity, but she also had the chance to use STC’s Career and Employer Services newly introduced professional headshot photo booth.
“I’m excited that STC has invested in this service for us,” said Desai. “These photos are someone’s first impression of us. We can put them on resumés or on our LinkedIn pages, giving us a professional look that can be impressive to any potential employer. I’m grateful to STC for always investing in their students.”
Overall, Moreno said this year’s job fair was a success.
“We work with quality employers, and many already call our campuses requesting our graduates for hire,” he said. “This job fair is just a way to get them all in one room, provide a lesson in networking for our students and give them a one-stop-shop for a career without them having to commute any further than our campus. We look forward to next year and continuing to provide this invaluable event for our students.”
For more information on the services offered by STC’s Career and Employer Services or to make an appointment to take a professional headshot, visit https://studentservices.southtexascollege.edu/careerservices/.
Information source: STC
