OCTOBER 10, 2023 — Last spring, chemical engineering major Andrea Valero was looking for opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry that aligned with her passion for problem solving and research.
She found what she was looking for at the spring 2023 UTSA Virtual Career Expo powered by the Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Career Collaborative and hosted by the University Career Center (UCC).
The UCC will present the fall 2023 expo from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 12—offering students and alumni an opportunity to schedule one-on-one conversations or group sessions with more than 270 employers.
Now in its 3rd year, the HSI Virtual Career Expo has connected over 2,600 students and alumni with organizations across the nation who are reaffirming and strengthening a shared vision for diverse talent in their professional spaces.
“UTSA is committed to offering more experiential learning opportunities, internships and employer partnerships to our students and alumni. Andrea is a true example of the impact the HSI Career Collaborative is achieving,” said Mario Vela, UTSA assistant vice provost of career-engaged learning and founder of the HSI Career Collaborative.
Major companies are recruiting more HSI students and graduates than ever before. Attendees from all majors seeking an internship or job can connect with companies like Autodesk, PepsiCo, AbbVie, Adobe, bp, John Deere, Protiviti, Spectrum and UnitedHealth Group.
Now in her junior year, Valero had the opportunity at last year’s expo to connect with a representative from AbbVie, a Chicago-based pharmaceutical company, who shared information about the firm’s company culture. They also told Valero about AbbVie’s externship opportunities. These short-term, professional learning experiences provide students with exposure to the job, industry and company, so that students can determine if a given career will be a good fit. These externships also offer opportunities to secure internships or full-time roles, and also provide experience students can add to their resume.
Valero applied for a position in AbbVie’s Summer 2023 Externship Program. A week later, she was selected for one of the 60 coveted spots in this program.
“It was weird but exciting to work with different disciplines outside of STEM and get to know more about their decision-making processes,” Valero said.
The three-day externship program offered Valero an opportunity to learn about AbbVie and their diversity initiatives and network with professionals within the company and with other externs. The first day of the experience was focused on orienting Valero and other externs to AbbVie and their respective teams, culminating in a team building exercise at a local baseball game. Then externs were given a business challenge and as a team developed a solution to meet the needs of the business.
On the final day of the experience, AbbVie’s externship students were interviewed for 2024 internships. As an intern, Valero will be working on substantial, project-based tasks allowing her to deepen her understanding of the primary functions of AbbVie.
“I was very nervous and had no idea what to expect. I had never had an in-person interview before,” Valero recalled. “The people from AbbVie motivated me to be myself and to highlight my soft skills during the interview.”
Valero’s curiosity, preparation and experience has paid off. She will be completing her second experiential learning opportunity with AbbVie as an intern for the Operations Department in Waco, Texas, during the summer of 2024.
The virtual career expo is part of a series of recruitment activities offered by the HSI Career Collaborative. The collaborative is a consortium of 14 HSIs from across the country where at least 51% of its students identify as Hispanic. By joining together, the collaborative is making it easier for reputable employers to access the institutions’ diverse talent and to provide more career opportunities for all students and alumni.
In addition to UTSA, the HSI Collaborative includes California State University, Bakersfield; California State University, Dominguez Hills; California State University, Fresno; California State University, San Bernardino; California State University, Stanislaus; Florida International University; Texas A&M International University; Texas A&M University-San Antonio; University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; University of California-Merced; University of Illinois at Chicago; University of the Incarnate Word; and Lehman College.
All students who attend a one-on-one or group session at this semester’s Virtual Career Expo will be eligible to apply for one of five $1,000 scholarships through donations from Autodesk and PepsiCo.
-Cristina Sanchez
Source: The University of Texas at San Antonio
Original content:
https://www.utsa.edu/today/2023/10/story/fall-2023-virtual-career-expo-preview.html
