MURFREESBORO, Tenn.— Middle Tennessee State University’s fall 2024 Big Career Fair recently drew a record 235 companies and organizations to the Campus Recreation Center to connect with nearly 1,800 Blue Raider students and alumni who could end up as future employees or interns.

Hosted by the Career Development Center, the three-hour fair provided an opportunity for all students, regardless of major, to find part-time or full-time jobs or an internship within their desired career field. Employers ranged from Thompson Machinery to Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

“The opportunity for students to engage in a career fair event like this really allows them to expand their experience portfolio, allowing them the opportunity to see all of the different Middle Tennessee employers that are available to them,” said Beka Moore, Career Development Center director.

Here’s a brief video recap of the Sept. 26 event:

Fauziyah Akinsemoyin, a 21-year-old senior from Nigeria, said she was “looking for a data analyst or a business intelligence analyst job,” adding that she had already began to make connections at the fair.

“I do graduate in December, so it’s a perfect way to get a full-time job for (after) graduation,” the information technology major who’s minoring in information systems continued. “It’s a great opportunity to meet employers.” 

Employers felt the same about MTSU students.

“MTSU is such a great host . . . It’s incredible speaking with the students,” said Jessica Holcomb, human resources generalist for Rocketship Public Schools. “I think MTSU has a lot of great programs that attract a variety of kids that are interested in all sorts of different opportunities.” 

Jimmy Stephens, parts and services director for Darrell Waltrip Automotive, mirrored those thoughts, saying, “We’ve been really impressed with the caliber of students that we’ve met today.”

“You can tell that MTSU takes a lot of pride in their students because the people we’ve met are very impressive,” he continued. “We’d love to hire all of them if we could.”

Construction management major Mina Younan, 20, from Egypt, attended the fair looking for an internship. The sophomore international student hoped to gain work experience in the Nashville or Brentwood area.

The Big Career Fair offered a myriad of job opportunities for students and alumni, such as jobs in sales, environmental conservation, supply chain management and education — providing an opportunity for practically any major.

“I wanted to see if there was any opportunity that would continue my field of study, and whether that be in music business or public relations,” said Emily Richards, a 23-year-old music business senior from Virginia Beach, Virginia, adding that she was open to exploring jobs in marketing and management as well.

Audio production senior Allan Tan, 21, of Atlanta, Georgia, said he came to fair to look for jobs in “live event production, like concerts, or some kind of big event where they need some kind of audio production team.”

The Career Development Center offers a wide variety of services for students and alumni, such as career advising, professional document guides, a career closet and multiple career fairs each year either for all majors or specific colleges. 

For more information visit https://www.mtsu.edu/career/.

— Maddy Williams (Maddy.Williams@mtsu.edu)