Career Fair shows glimpse of life after IU

In addition to juggling class and school activities, many IU students on the verge of graduation can add finding a job to their to-do list. The second -annual Multicultural Career Fair held Wednesday in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center helped ease students' anxieties about life after IU.\nThirty-nine companies and organizations were represented at this year's fair, including Old National Bank, Wal-Mart, Inc., University Information Technology Services, Teach for America, Target and Indiana Police Corps. Students received information on a wide variety of jobs, such as a signals analyst with the National Security Agency or a field organizer with the Hoosier Environmental Council. Several organizations were seeking summer interns as well.\nKathy Matthies, assistant director of the Arts and Sciences Placement Office, said the career fair came about after former IU Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm announced an initiative to help retain minority students at IU. \n"We're trying to find organizations that have a commitment to diversity," Matthies said.\nJim Witmer, training coordinator and recruiting officer for the Bloomington Police Department, said he looks for students who are college-educated, have good communication skills and can make decisions under stress. \nHe said the BPD's presence at the career fair "puts the word out to a minority student base that we're always looking for students." \nFor students who aren't ready to work a nine-to-five job, graduate school is still an option. V-Tsien G. Fan, minority law advisor for the Health Professions and Prelaw Center, said working before attending graduate school has its advantages. \n"I think students should work a couple of years before going to graduate school," he said. "You mature as a person, pick up real-world skills and learn to be an adult." \nHe said the IU Law School looks for people with real-world experience from a variety of majors.\nFor those who want to earn a paycheck and a degree, the Indiana National Guard offers opportunities for students who wish to work part-time while continuing their college education. The National Guard offers 100 percent tuition assistance, student loan repayment up to $10,000 and the chance to earn a 20-year retirement.\n"(The National Guard) brings a life experience no one else brings," said part-time National Guard recruiter Ahmad Popalyer.\nMary Garrison, chief of recruitment division for the National Security Agency, said the agency came to IU to increase its diversity and because IU has a large offering of foreign languages. The agency's Language Enhancement Program looks for potential employees who are proficient in languages such as French, German and Spanish to be trained in Arabic, Chinese and Hindi, among others. \nThe Multicultural Career Fair offered students of all backgrounds a variety of jobs and internships. For those students still looking, Fan offered his advice. \n"Good luck," he said with a laugh.\n-- Contact staff writer Laura Kruty at lkruty@indiana.edu.