Liberal Arts Students Impress Employers at CLA Career Fair

The 2024 CLA Internship & Career Fair welcomed 879 students, a 10% increase from 2023, to Huntington Bank Stadium on Thursday, September 26. The signature event saw students connect with 79 employers to explore volunteer, internship, and job opportunities.

“CLA really represents what we want our employee base to look like,” said Katie Vincent with the Sherwin-Williams Company. “The students here have a hunger to succeed.” 

Out of the 879 students that attended the fair, 90% were CLA students. Sophomores led with 33%, seniors followed at 30%, juniors at 25%, first-years at 10% and graduate students made up the final 1%. 

“College recruiting is our number one way to find the quality of employees that we are looking for. We come to the CLA Fair because there are so many well-prepared students that truly value people and fit with our mission and vision,” said Brianna Palkki with ACR Homes.  

Many students like Yasin Abuelgasim took advantage of multiple Prepare for the Fair events hosted by the CLA Career Services office leading up to the Fair with 170 stopping by the office for drop-ins, headshots, resume reviews and webinars throughout the week. 

“Reworking my resume was the basis of my preparation. I also changed up my LinkedIn and Handshake profiles to make them look more professional and attended the “Ask Me Anything” and “Personal Branding Workshop” leading up to the fair,” said Abuelgasim. 

Employers at the fair – ranging from Target to the Minnesota Twins to event sponsors ACR Homes and Sherwin Williams — shared positive feedback about their experience. There were 24 CLA alumni representing their employers, including Rachel Brees with American Public Media. 

“I did an internship with MPR when I was freshly graduated and it changed my life and put me on a career path that I am excited about,” said Brees. “So, I was excited to get to share these great opportunities with students.” 

Not only were alumni on the other side of the table, but current University of Minnesota sophomore Abdullahi Warsame was there on behalf of Best Buy after a successful internship with them this past summer. 

“I can speak to how my experience was and hopefully provide a great experience to any interns coming here next summer,” said Warsame who visited Career Services as a first year student to get help with resume and interview preparation. 

“My advice to my classmates would be proactive and network as much as you can with professionals and the other students here. Your classmates can be your biggest resource down the road.”