Students seeking campus jobs flocked to Sayles Hall to meet with various University employers Friday afternoon. The Student Employment Fair — hosted by the Undergraduate Council of Students and University Human Resources Student Employment Office — featured University employers ranging from the Department of Public Safety to the Office of Information Technology.
According to UCS President Mina Sarmas ’24, this was the first time the Student Employment Fair was hosted in person since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I hope students are able to connect with the various offices across campus and find a job that is enjoyable for them and is potentially aligned with their interests,” Sarmas wrote in an email to The Herald. “Events like this can make this process super easy, especially with representatives from Financial Aid, HR and Workday in the same room to answer any logistical questions.”
Many University offices and centers, including the Ruth Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, rely on students to elevate their institutional missions, said J. Kiku Langford McDonald, center manager of the Simmons Center.
“We really rely on the students to help us with all of our different projects and educational opportunities,” Langford McDonald said. “We have slavery and legacy walking tour guides that we're hiring for, as well as a bunch of people to help out in the office with various projects.”
The Office of Event Strategy and Management also tabled at the fair, representing the Presidential Host Program — a student leadership and management job that operates in partnership with the Office of the President.
Event Manager Danielle Izzi-St. Pierre said that “presidential hosts are a select group of students that help our team support and execute events, which includes both back-end event preparation and in-office shifts.”
Hosts “connect and engage with University leaders, alumni and invited community guests,” according to the program’s website. Izzi-St. Pierre said that the program is searching for students who want “hands-on” event and networking experience.
Samantha Abate, digital marketing production specialist on the Brown Annual Fund’s Advancement Team, which was also present at the fair, said that “it is absolutely crucial to have students involved” with the program.
Brown Annual Fund “raises funds for student financial aid, scholarships and various impact funds” and “oversees fundraising for the professional schools,” Abate explained.
The Advancement Team for BAF specifically advertised a student-calling program at the fair that is designed to utilize student outreach in generating revenue from University donors.
“They call alumni, parents (and) friends of Brown to … talk about different initiatives at Brown and eventually ask for support for those initiatives,” she added.
Employers at the fair said they hope that students can gain real-world experiences with a campus job, while also balancing coursework and other valuable commitments. “If you can prioritize getting that work experience, it will be so valuable to you once you graduate … on your resume (and) on your networking profiles,” Abate said.
Members of the class of 2027 are excited to get to work as they acclimate to life on College Hill. Ella Genender ’27 attended the fair and was surprised at the sheer volume of available jobs at the University.
“There were a lot more job opportunities than I thought that there were,” she said.
Mouslymatou Mbacke ’27 expressed a similar sentiment. “I was curious to explore all the different options that I have on campus to make sure I utilize all my resources as a first-year.”
Bahar Charyyeva ’27 told The Herald she was thrilled about the low barrier to entry for many of the positions showcased at the event.
“You can just go in as a freshman and there’s so many jobs,” she said. “It’s really amazing in my opinion, and I think it’s gonna help me to widen my scope as well.”
Ryan Doherty is a section editor covering faculty, higher education and science and research. He is a junior concentrating in Chemistry and Economics who likes to partially complete crosswords in his free time.
