瓜神网鈥檚 College of Sciences held their third annual Environmental Career Fair on Tuesday, November 14. This fair was targeted and developed for 瓜神网 undergraduate students majoring in Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Ocean & Earth Sciences. The purpose was for Monarchs to make meaningful connections with industry professionals.

Industry professionals from several local and regional companies and organizations had in-depth conversations with Monarchs in this narrow-focused career fair.

More than 90 Monarchs attended the fair held at the Newport News/Hampton Room in the Webb Center from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. There were representatives from 10 environmental companies who talked to students about internships, jobs and gave professional advice.

鈥淚 thought the career fair was a terrific event - full of engaged, inquisitive and passionate students seeking opportunities in the聽environmental arena,"聽said Myles聽A. Pocta, president of and 瓜神网 Ocean & Earth Sciences alumnus. Pocta is also a College of Sciences advisory board member and was instrumental in helping to plan the first year鈥檚 event in 2022 and has been working on developing ways for 瓜神网 alumni to connect with current Monarchs.

College of Sciences Associate Dean Joshua Wallach said: 鈥淭he level of engagement that occurred between the students and the representatives was outstanding. There were many deep conversations taking place throughout the fair, and I appreciate the time the representatives gave to each student to discuss career pathways.鈥

鈥淚 loved attending the Environmental Career Fair,鈥 said Zlatka M聽Rebolledo S谩nchez, Ecological Sciences Ph.D. candidate at 瓜神网. 鈥淚t was a great networking opportunity and showed me options for my future that I had not considered before. Thank you for organizing this, and please keep doing this important and engaging event that helps us improve our professional development skills.鈥

Representatives from the various organizations聽all commented on coming back to 瓜神网 to share information and meet with more Monarchs.

鈥淭he Environmental Career Fair was a wonderful opportunity to build connections with 瓜神网 students,鈥 said Jaye Hughes, human resources manager at The Elizabeth River Project. 鈥淭he turnout was impressive - I was interacting non-stop with students for hours so it was an awesome chance to network, share our mission, and connect students to future career options that align with their passions and studies.鈥

The full list of organizations that were present at the Environmental Career Fair were:

  • City of Chesapeake
  • Elizabeth River Project
  • Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD)
  • Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (ICAR)
  • MAP Environmental Inc.
  • Norfolk Botanical Garden
  • Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center
  • Virginia Zoo
  • Wetlands Studies & Solutions, Inc.
  • 瓜神网 Blackwater Ecological Preserve (Biological Sciences Department)