Job Fair 'n' Square

A trio of students created a new job fair to jump-start their peers’ careers.

Written by Cara King

For their senior project, communication studies students Adrianna Blodgett (COMS ’24), Aly Brook (COMS ’24) and Kristina Yan (COMS ’24) set out to tackle a challenge that many liberal arts students face: how to connect their skills with real-world opportunities and launch successful careers.

Their research revealed a gap — while communication studies students possessed many skills highly desirable to employers, there were not enough in-person networking opportunities for them to forge professional relationships. “Many liberal arts students — especially those in Communication Studies — often felt underrepresented and overlooked at the general Cal Poly Career Fair each quarter,” said Brook, who has now found her own career path in human resources. “We decided to take initiative and create our own career readiness opportunities.”

With funding from Poly Gives 2024, Blodgett, Brook, and Yan designed and launched the Communications Career and Networking Event Series to fulfill their peers’ needs. The first event in the series was a resume and cover letter workshop, featuring guest presenters Ara Najarian, communications manager at Tenet Health Central Coast, and a student ambassador for Career Services. Next up was an interview tips and elevator pitch workshop, featuring alumni speaker Campbell Warren (COMS ’20) and CLA Career Counselor Evie Kriegbaum. Kriegbaum offered practical advice on interview etiquette, how to ace common interview questions and what employers really want to see in a candidate.

Culminating the event series, a Career Networking and Job Fair centered communications-related industries. The communication studies and journalism departments combined their respective career fairs, increasing the number of organizations and variety of industries represented. “Career fairs are wonderful ‘Learn by Doing’ opportunities,” said the trio’s senior project advisor, Communication Studies Professor Leslie Nelson. “From practicing their elevator pitches, to revising their resumes, to running through interview questions students put vital skills learned through their coursework into practice with prospective employers. Equally beneficial, employers have the opportunity to hire our outstanding students as a result of these events. Career fairs are truly a win-win for our students and the employers who participate!”

Blodgett, Brook and Yan saw an increase in participation and great enthusiasm for the event series from students. “The most rewarding part of the entire process was hearing from communication studies and journalism students who finally felt seen, represented and grateful to have career opportunities tailored to them,” said Brook. “For the first time, they felt recognized at a Cal Poly career fair—and that meant everything to us.”

Left to Right: Kristina Yan, Adrianna Blodgett and Aly Brook celebrate
their hard work at the first Communications and Journalism Career Fair.

Visiting employers and professionals were equally enthusiastic about building stronger connections. “I was surprised by how eager people are to help students and soon-to-be graduates,” said Yan. “Most professionals we asked to attend the career fair were eager to come and interact with the students. Even after graduating and working full time, I’ve had recruiters reach out to me asking if I was looking for a full-time role or wanting to connect since they remembered me from that event.”

While facilitating opportunities for their peers, the trio also strengthened their own soft skills in communication and organization. “Something I had not fully realized was that event planning is very difficult!” said Brook. “Bouncing ideas off each other and being open to different perspectives were a big part of the process. I use all of those same skills in HR now — especially since working with all kinds of personalities is such a big part of the job!” Yan added, “This project changed my outlook on job hunting since I realized that many companies and recruiters are focused on your soft skills as an applicant, like your personality and availability to learn or adapt, rather than strictly your resume.”

The career fair was so successful that both departments are teaming up for a second time in 2025. Students are once again actively engaged in planning, coordinating and executing the event. “It’s been incredibly rewarding to help organize this year’s fair and continue building on the foundation that was laid last year,” said Grace Kuntz, a third-year communication studies major and planning committee member. “Supporting career-readiness opportunities for my fellow COMS majors feels especially meaningful because I know how impactful it can be to make professional connections early on. One thing I’ve learned through this process is just how much time and coordination goes into planning even a smaller, more targeted event. From outreach to logistics, it's been a great hands-on experience in communication, leadership, and event planning—skills that directly connect to what we’re learning in our COMS program.”

Thank you to our Poly Gives donors for making this possible. Your generosity directly supports students’ career readiness by giving them access to high-impact learning experiences. This year’s career fair will welcome many employers who are actively seeking to fill internship and employment positions, building important foundations for students’ future success.