The fair had a myriad of government agencies and companies present, many of which were offering positions in the sustainability field
By RIVERS STOUT — campus@theaggie.com
On April 23, the ASUCD Student Sustainability Career Fair (SSCF) was held at the Activities and Recreation Center Ballroom. The student-run fair is an annual event that invites companies and government agencies looking to offer jobs and internships to students.
“Our goal is to help students get exposed to environmental careers and potential job pathways,” Jordyn Kosai, chairperson of SSCF, said. “We try to get a full range [of organizations], because the environmental field is so vast.”
The fair had many employment opportunities from organizations such as the Department of Water Resources, CA Energy Commision and the Sacramento Tree Foundation.
“[It’s important] to give students more opportunities to enter the field and job [search], [and] it’s helpful for people to know others in the field,” Kosai said. “We’re trying to expand our reach to way more student populations because the environmental field is not very diverse.”
Samantha Villegas, recruitment and outreach manager for the California Energy Commission (CEC), said that this event was important because of how many students at UC Davis are interested in energy, the environment and sustainability.
“We’re really excited to put our name out there, let students know about positions, our recruitment services, our student assistant positions and internship possibilities,” Villegas said.
The CEC is in close proximity to Davis, being based in Sacramento.
“We have a very inclusive and diverse environment, in all senses of the word,” Villegas said. “We have hiring positions for people from all walks of life.”
The CEC student assistant position is a paid position, and students can be placed anywhere within the commission, according to Villegas. This was one example of a job opportunity that was presented at the event.
Villegas continued with advice for students looking for work.
“Create an understanding of what your interest is and where it might lie,” Villegas said. “Always get a hold of recruiters. If you can research through their company website or LinkedIn for who their recruitment team is, it’s a really wise move as an applicant to contact them.”
Many booths were left waiting for traffic, giving those that did apply little competition. However, students who did show up were full of passion.
“I’m really passionate about sustainability and planning specifically,” Emma Barnett, a third-year sustainable and environmental design major, said. “I’m really grateful, [and] I’m so happy all these companies came out to see what Davis has to offer.”
Many organizations who were invited to the fair were local, with positions not far from Davis.
“UC Davis is educating a lot of amazing students in sustainability, [and] I think we’re pretty great at it compared to other places,” Barnett said. “It’s a reasonable ask for them to want to filter us into local and nearby companies so that we can help communities here in Davis.”
Written by: Rivers Stout — campus@theaggie.org
