CHaSS Launches USU Nonprofit Career Fair

By Andrea DeHaan, CHaSS Communications Editor

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS) sponsored Utah State University’s first-ever nonprofit career fair on March 21, 2024. In collaboration with USU’s Career Design Center, the fair drew more than 225 students who had the opportunity to network with 29 organizations.

While most students participating were CHaSS majors and minors, the fair was open to all and attracted students from nearly every college at USU. The nonprofits represented local and statewide organizations as well as Utah branches of national nonprofits like Make-a-Wish and the American Indian Services. 

“I wanted to hold a career fair that made humanities and social science students feel like the doors were being held open for them,” said Brittney Allen, CHaSS alumni outreach coordinator. “Nonprofits not only cover a wide variety of industries, but they also play to our students' strengths and values.”  

Many CHaSS alumni have worked or interned in the nonprofit sector, and the college is home to the Nonprofit Organizations and Social Entrepreneurship certificate program. For this reason, Allen said, “It seemed like a logical and supportive theme for our college's first fair.”  

With support from Career Design Center staff, the college invited students to stop by USU’s Taggart Student Center to meet with organization representatives, explore various nonprofit services, and learn about potential internships.

Communication Studies student Tia Zebe was at the fair doing just that.

“I had a few people [give] me their card … so I could connect and reach out about potential internship opportunities for the summer,” she said.

Zebe, who has minors in mental health advocacy and human development, said she particularly enjoyed talking to the Policy Project and is interested in nonprofit work post-graduation.

The career fair allowed students to practice initial conversations with potential employers. For the employers, it was an opportunity to learn more about the breadth of student interests at USU while elevating their profiles with future volunteers, interns, and employees.

Jason Bohman, a USU alum and social worker for Community Nursing Services (CNS), said the event allowed them to showcase potential opportunities for interns from multiple disciplines, especially those interested in mental health and the medical field.

“We just met probably 20 or 25 different students who have come through here and said, ‘Well, what is it you do? How could I be involved? What would that look like?’" Bohman said. “We're a healthcare and hospice business, so we're not glamorous … you won't see our marketing on the side of buses. Fairs like this give people an opportunity to see what we're doing.”

He was seated next to CHaSS student Tom Sherlock, who is currently interning with CNS to fulfill the requirements of his social work practicum.

Justin Hall, curator of the Hill Aerospace Museum, also enjoyed talking to a range of students interested in learning more about his organization.

“We've had a really good track record in terms of interns at our museum [who] have found gainful employment in the field,” he said.

Hall, who earned undergraduate degrees in philosophy and classics at Utah State before completing a master’s in history through USU, said their interns get “real-world experience doing [work] related to their academic or professional goals,” something he calls “a win-win,” because he gets to support his alma mater while creating a robust internship program, which “is really beneficial for us.”

“There's sort of the idea of what museum work might be, but then seeing what museum administration looks like, what actually happens in curation or education … it's a great opportunity [to] see behind the curtain.”

Hall said this helps students make more informed career decisions.

The idea for a career fair during CHaSS Week — a weeklong series of events taking place in the college each March — was on the minds of the college’s career staff for several years but took time to bring to fruition.

CHaSS Career Coach and Career Design Center Assistant Director Joseph Banks said the fair “underscore[d] our students' desire for careers in community-based organizations."

Banks and Allen worked together to pull off the first-of-its-kind event at USU, contacting participating employers and asking the college to help offset costs for nonprofits, most of whom have limited outreach budgets.

“We understand that our students can do anything,” said Allen, and the fair, which CHaSS and USU plan to repeat next year, is just the beginning of helping employers and the students themselves see just how true that is.