On Friday, September 27 after school, DECA put on its first-ever Career Development Fair, where representatives from various companies, local businesses, and organizations came to Irvington to speak to students about the jobs, internships, and volunteering opportunities they offer.
Companies and organizations such as LinkedIn, Kumon, Scholar Hygiene for the Homeless Foundation, U.S. Cricket Store, and RISE Business Academy participated in the fair. Tables were set up around the courtyard, with people from each organization in their booths prepared to engage with Irvington students.
As soon as school ended, people came in and began gathering around the booths to speak with the businesses. Some even came prepared with their resumes in hand to ask for advice on networking and professional opportunities. Many already had a couple of booths in mind that they wanted to speak to. Geetika Maheshwari (10), an attendee of the event, commented, “I came here looking for jobs that were more tailored for high schoolers, with requirements around my level of work experience. I especially wanted to get involved with Kumon and the exciting opportunities they are offering.”
In preparation for the event, DECA had to handle many logistics in coordination with the local businesses. Rachit Parmar (11), the current auxiliary lead for DECA who originally came up with the idea to host the Career Development Fair, said, “We noticed the demand for internships and job positions in the student body, and we saw this as a chance to invite over businesses that are currently looking to hire.” Parmar added, “I think people have really been taking advantage of this opportunity. About 100-200 people showed up, so the turnout has been very good.”
One company that students were specifically interested in talking to was LinkedIn, which had a large group of students surrounding their booth throughout the entire afternoon. Neha Surendranath, a senior technical program manager for the company, attended and had interesting insights about the event and the students she spoke with. “A lot of people were interested in fields like cybersecurity, design, and engineering, and they asked lots of questions about what potential career paths in those areas would look like.”
Surendranath also has some advice for high schoolers who are exploring potential careers. “Networking is super key. Platforms like social media sites and LinkedIn are great because they allow people around the globe to be so well-connected. I would start there- building these connections will open up career paths.”
The Career Development Fair highlights the excitement of Irvington students to start exploring possible fields and career paths. It foreshadows the success of impactful DECA events to come in the future.
