On Oct. 23, Stamm Hall buzzed with energy as Lewis & Clark hosted the first Career Fair of the academic year. The event aimed to connect students with different companies and organizations offering a wide variety of spring and summer 2025 internship and career opportunities. While some might call it a networking extravaganza, the room had both waves of joy and as many awkward pauses as one expects when young adults confront their future careers.
With major names like IQ Credit Union and The Script making appearances, the fair struck a balance between local Portland-based organizations and national companies. Non-profits also had a strong presence, including Funds for the Public Interest and the Center for Social Dynamics, both actively recruiting interns for paid positions.
Jazmin Contreras ’26 is a first-generation junior student who came intending to find internships for the summer. Contreras found herself gravitating toward companies that aligned with her interests in leadership and community.
Contreras also emphasized the helpful nature of the career fair in connecting with employers firsthand. Going to tables of organizations like Latina Network, Overland Summers and The Script made her feel more confident and prepared for the application seasons. These conversations with the employers helped her gain more clarity on places she would want to apply for the upcoming internship season.
“Being first-gen, I’ve had to be proactive in finding opportunities. Last year, I struggled to secure an internship, and it only came through by luck. This time, I want to be more on top of things,” Contreras said.
The fair also showcased LC’s commitment to bridging gaps between the student body and the broader Portland community. Assistant Director of Student and Employer Engagement Sam Williams emphasized the importance of face-to-face interactions in the professional job markets.
“It’s easy to connect virtually, but in-person conversations bring a new depth. Students get to explore career paths they hadn’t considered before, and employers familiarize themselves with the unique potential of our students,” he explained.
Williams also discussed the different strategies the Career Center employs to bring a diverse group of organizations to campus. The center reached out to several local Portland businesses, along with larger companies known for hiring student interns and recruiting directly from college campuses. He also highlighted the importance of Handshake, a platform where several organizations present at the fair discovered LC’s career fair and expressed interest in participating.
“So, through like a lot of research, like, we find companies that are Portland-based or kind of like, in a very prominent area that would be easier to come. We also target, you know, other folks who we feel like could stand to learn more about our school and are interested in building further relations and want to recruit students,” Williams explained.
Elie Al Khoury ’26, Saleth Sierra ’27 and Yadira Figueroa ’27, the three peer career advisors helping in organizing the fair, also provided valuable insights on the fair’s impact from a student perspective. They highlighted how the event effectively connects students with local opportunities, helping to bridge the gap between campus life and the surrounding city. Throughout this conversation, they also discussed several suggestions for improvement. Yadira Figueroa, specifically highlighted a desire to broaden the variety of industries represented at the fair, envisioning a more diverse array of options for students seeking to explore their career paths.
“It would be great to see more companies from science, research, or engineering sectors cater to students with diverse academic interests,” Figueroa said.
In a nutshell, this career fair provided a vital space for students from different classes to network, discover new possibilities, and reflect on their career trajectories. For students like Contreras, it was not just about finding a job but also about empowerment and a way to align with her career goals. With a good turnout of students attending and fairly diverse organizations in attendance, the Career Fair highlighted the growing connection between LC students and their future career prospects. As the doors to Stamm closed, one thing was clear: opportunity had knocked, and the students of LC were ready to answer them!
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