More than 200 students looking for employment or internships made valuable connections on March 7 at Davenport University’s annual Career and Internship Fair, which was held on its W.A. Lettinga Grand Rapids Campus.

Around 50 employers and organizations from various industries, including health care, finance, manufacturing, non-profits, government, banking and more were on hand and eager to meet with attendees.

Eric Cross, assistant director of Career Services at Davenport, said the event is an excellent way for students to find internships and full-time positions and connect with employers to build their networks.

According to Cross, the feedback he received from employers and students who attended the career fair was overwhelmingly positive.

Davenport student Abi Braden attended the Career Fair and helped organize the event as part of her on-campus employment with Career Services. “I was happy with the turnout and was able to enlarge my network by speaking with potential employers. It was also a great way to make LinkedIn connections and look for a potential internship,” said Braden.

Emaleigh Brooks, a medical assistant student at Davenport, also attended the career fair in search of a summer internship and left with several solid leads. “I actually found a great internship opportunity not far from my home, as well as several possible job leads for me to explore after I graduate,” said Brooks.

Cross said it was great to see so many employers represented at the career fair, and he was especially pleased with the student turnout. “We increased the number of students who registered for the event and then came to meet employers this year, so that’s exciting,” said Cross.

Students are encouraged to follow up with the employers they connected with at the career fair within 24 hours to continue employment and internship discussions. If students have questions about post-career fair communications, they should contact their career coach for guidance.