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Students, Alumni Network with Companies at Career Expo

  • From left: ATEC junior Pailin Engel, ATEC senior Claire Landig and computer engineering senior Roulan Ceniza spoke with a representative from Thomson Reuters.

The biannual Career Expo Days drew 177 companies to UT Dallas to find strong candidates to recruit throughout the three-day event.

More than 3,400 students and alumni filed into the Activity Center’s Main Gym for a chance to speak one on one with campus recruiters from companies such as Texas Instruments, Wal-Mart and Intel.

“Career Expos provide a good venue for students to get face-to-face interaction with many employers in a short amount of time,” said Lisa Garza, director of the Career Center. “Students who are just beginning to explore careers or those who are ready to graduate can all find value in the opportunity to learn more about possible employer organizations and job openings.”

The expo spanned three days to accommodate the high demand for STEM-related opportunities, with the last two days dedicated to those seeking jobs and internships in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

Shivam Patel, a junior in the Naveen Jindal School of Management, said he attended the expo to help build connections and foster relationships with prospective employers.

“If you think about it, UTD is one of the closest universities by geography to (companies like) Toyota, to Pizza Hut, to Liberty Mutual, to State Farm,” he said. “That’s why I’m here.”

He said the reason he chose UT Dallas was because of its connection to Toyota — a choice that paid off.

Patel landed an internship with Toyota his first year at UT Dallas. He said he hopes to continue working in the automotive industry after graduation. 

Campus recruiter and UT Dallas alumnus Nkenge Gibson MPA’05, PhD’09 has also found that the University consistently produces strong candidates.

A senior analyst for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, she attributes her success to her professors, who she said have a combination of academic and real-world experience.

We picked (UT Dallas) because there’s an incredible amount of talent, particularly in the STEM fields. We also have user experience designers who are UTD alums, and the (EMAC program) teaches exactly the kinds of things what we do. It’s a great partnership.

Jessica Hart,
talent coordinator
with projekt202

“That was meaningful for me, because part of the time I was a full-time employee and going to school part time,” she said. “So that really brought insight into how I could use my degree to further my career.”

Jessica Hart, a talent coordinator with software company projekt202, said her company is new to the college recruitment scene and that UT Dallas is its first choice.

“We picked (UT Dallas) because there’s an incredible amount of talent, particularly in the STEM fields,” she said. “We also have user experience designers who are UTD alums, and the (EMAC program) teaches exactly the kinds of things what we do. It’s a great partnership.”

Garza said that Career Expos are only one of the ways students can learn about prospective jobs and connect with potential employers.

“Students in all majors who are seeking different career paths should connect with their career consultants to learn about the multitude of programming available to them, including the numerous ways employers engage with students on campus,” she said.

Media Contact: The Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, [email protected].