Joliet Junior College hosted the Joliet Regional Career & College Fair on Thursday, March 26, in the Event Center on Main Campus. The event was open to all students at JJC who wanted to look into any transfer schools after graduation or possible internships for the career they wanted.
Finding a job
One of the employers at the event, April Krumin, was there to represent the Little Learners Children’s Academy.
“We’re a group of four privately owned day care centers” Krumin said. “It’s a summer camp position, working with school age kids up to ages 6 to 12.”
Krumin is responsible for preparing activities and supervising field trips at the four locations of the academy, being Crest Hill, Yorkville, Minooka, and Bolingbrook.
Another employer at the event was Joseph Urizar, a representative of the Illinois Department of Human Services, also known as IDHS.
“We’re a social service agency,” Urizar said. “We have an array of jobs that need to be filled. We have entry level jobs, a need for nurses, social workers and psychologists. We are statewide so there’s always going to be an opening available.”
When it comes to the human services industry, Urizar puts compassion for others above all else.
“It’s nice to know this agency is willing to help an individual with their hardship” Urizar said.
For anyone interested in an internship at the IDHS or the helpline, the number and applications are up at https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=172968.
Another company that was at the fair was the Olympia Fields Country Club. Human Resources Generalist, Maria Valdez was there to represent the club.
“We’re known for our golf courses” Valdez said. “It’s a private country club. We recently hosted the BMW Championship. If you think about basketball and football they went to compete. We have baby showers and weddings, we have banquet halls that club members use for those events. We have restaurants if you wanna order food. Anything you can think of in a country club.”
As of now the club is looking for people from ages 16 to over 21 to cover jobs such as bartenders and servers.
“Servers have to be 18 and older and food runners, server assistance, dishwashers, and life guards must be 16 and over” Valdez said.
JJC first-year student Moises Pizarro went to the fair to take a look at all of the opportunities available. While for some people the fair could be their other time around, for Pizarro it was his first time.
“This is my first time” Pizarro said. “I think it was pretty great because there were a lot of opportunities and things to learn about. I wanted to see all of the opportunities that are here. The Hollywood Casino stood out to me. The police department stood out to me the most.”
Transferring to a university
Several four-year colleges were presented at the fair.
North Central College featured what is called a “fast track transfer,” which means those who are transferring to the college do not have to wait as long to receive their letter and financial aid. A bonus for JJC students is that you do not need your official transcript unless combining multiple transcripts for admission.
The University of St. Francis booth talked up their newly announced “Bridge Forward Partnership” with JJC. This partnership allows students who apply and are in good standings with JJC and USF are guaranteed admission and receive a scholarship. A few other colleges have this deal with JJC as well according to the JJC website.
Scholarships
Many schools touted their merit-based scholarship opportunities as well as other scholarships.
In their booth, Franklin University talked up their scholarship opportunities. When students get accepted into Franklin, they only need to be complete one application to be eligible for 25 different scholarships
A few colleges offer JJC transfer students additional financial aid as well. For example, University of Phoenix offers a $50 discount per credit hour for those who are transferring with an associate of arts degree.
Campus life
Campus life is a factor for many students as they decide on their transfer school.
The Northern Illinois University booth talked about the 200 different clubs, fraternities and sororities found at the school. Other schools focused on facilities. Governors State University talked about their “glass blowing facility.” Olivet Nazarene University has a four-story high climbing wall within the Perry Center on campus.
Programs
If a student thought a college or university was not quite right for them a few years ago, they may want to relook at what is new for students to take. Many colleges are adding and changing curriculums to make sure that students are set up for the career they desire with the proper training and knowledge. For example, Lewis University announced a new bachelor’s degree in histotechnology. According to the school, a histotechnologist will prepare very thin slices of human, animal or plant tissue for microscopic examination, which helps establish and confirm patient diagnosis.
