College alumni hold career fair

Confused about life after college? The College Alumni Society is trying to help. Last night, the group held a career fair in conjunction with Career Planning and Placement Service for College of Arts and Sciences students in order to give them a sense of the opportunities available to them after graduation. More than 100 students took advantage of the opportunity to speak with University alumni about career options, resume building and job searching. "We're here to answer the question 'how do I really make a living with a liberal arts degree?'" said Bob Holtz, president of the College Alumni Society. "It's a mentoring service to provide the opportunity for students to meet with professionals on an informal basis. But it's not a recruiting session." He added that he was pleased with this year's turnout, which was the best in the five years the program has been offered. Holtz explained that alumni were available to answer questions about what each field entails, the skills necessary to get into it and possible salary expectations. For the most part, students were pleased with the event. "There are a lot of College graduates who don't really know what they want," said College senior Patricia Wang. "Students can talk to people they plan to interview with and get their resumes critiqued." College senior Sharon Krittman agreed. "[The fair] gives you a sense of a company beyond what's included in the CPPS binder," she said. "What attracted me most was that it was really geared towards College students and our needs." Despite the limited number of only 21 alumni, the graduates were available to offer students individualized advice. "I thought it was a good to interact with students to help them along with their career choices," said health care professional and University alumnus Joe Marini. "I was in the same boat when I was here." Other mentors echoed Marini's sentiments. "I don't have any clear-cut goals," said information science representative Catherine Heslin. "I'm just hoping to be available to answer any questions that may come up." Bob Alig, assistant director in the Graduate Division of the Wharton School and member of the College Alumni Society board, organized this year's program. "What I'm trying to do is give College students some of the resources and confidence that they can go out and find jobs that are right for them," he said. "And I want them to be able to do it regardless of whether they're an Am Civ major or they're a Finance major."