On March 14, 2025, Klein College of Media and Communication hosted its annual Klein Internship and Career Fair. With 54 employers in attendance, students had the opportunity to network, learn more about their field and potentially land jobs or internships. Notable companies there included Penguin Random House, Nexstar Media Group, Inc., Seven Knots Film & Media and Disney ABC Television Group.
Before the fair, Klein Career Services, housed within the Engagement, Development and Growth Experiences (Klein EDGE) office, hosted several events and provided resources to ensure students were prepared. Those attending could have their resume reviewed by a career coach, visit the Career Wardrobe to find their perfect outfit and get advice from alumni at the Prepare for the Fair event.
Alana Beltran, a junior journalism major, is a student worker at Klein EDGE who helped students prepare their resumes and choose what to wear.
“There were a ton of mixed emotions for the event, a lot of excitement and nerves in the air,” said Beltran. “However, I think the event came together well and a lot of students had the chance to learn about great opportunities”
Even at the fair, Klein EDGE provided in-person tools for students. Career coaches and student workers were available for assistance, and attendees were able to practice their elevator pitches with alumni, faculty and staff. The Wellness Resource Center was there to help students decompress and practice self-care after the career fair.
“It’s always my favorite part to help out the students,” said Christian Lee, a sophomore journalism and political science major and Klein EDGE student worker. “Evidently, yeah, they are pretty nervous when they first start, but it’s really nice to see them grow and get into the hang of talking to employers and figuring out what they want to do. I think that’s one of the best parts of doing the career fair.”
In addition to working at the event, Beltran attended the career fair to make connections with employers in their chosen field. They thought that this was a great opportunity to network and put themselves out there.
“I felt like I was able to really pitch myself and showcase some of the work I do,” Beltran said. “I hope that the connections I made will allow me to line up some good internships or full-time positions in the future.”
Klein College Assistant Director of Student Success Tyler DeVice, KLN '18, '23, felt that it was vital for students to simply get the experience of talking to an employer in that type of setting.
“I think that just to step into an environment that’s pretty hectic and to start to feel more comfortable talking about yourself is really important, and you need to be able to do that as a young professional,” said DeVice.
Being a sophomore, Lee attended to use the career fair as a practice opportunity before beginning the future job search and preparations for graduation.
“It was definitely vitally important for me to have that experience because, even though I am a sophomore, it’s great just to learn how to talk to an employer, even if you’re not directly getting an internship straight from the career fair,” said Lee.
In addition to learning how to pitch yourself, the career fair gave students the opportunity to learn more about the industry they want to enter.
“I think the biggest underrated thing [about the fair] is to hear about what’s going on in the industry,” explained DeVice, who also teaches the Klein First-Year Seminar. “You might be a public relations major and have an idea of what you think public relations is, but then once you talk to employers, you might have a whole different idea of what it’s actually going to look like, and they can tell you exactly what the jobs are going to be.”
Beltran and Lee noted that many students they interacted with were nervous before the fair. However, after talking to their first employer, most began to feel more confident.
DeVice was very proud to see how students conducted themselves when interacting with employers and representatives.
“I think the students did a better job than I ever would have thought,” said DeVice. “I think that they showed up so prepared; they looked professional. They’re ready to talk about themselves and they impressed a lot of people.”