Students connect with employers at career and internship fair
Brandeis students take steps toward future careers, exploring opportunities across industries.
By Julian Cardillo ’14
Photography by Gaelen Morse
October 15, 2025
Students crammed into a bustling and packed Sherman Function Hall for the Fall 2025 All-Majors Career and Internship Fair hosted by the Hiatt Career Center.
The event brought together more than 45 employers from across industries — from business and healthcare to education, government, finance and social services — offering students a chance to explore a wide range of career paths and practice their networking skills.
“This is our marquee recruiting event for the fall,” said Melissa O’Karma, associate director of external engagement at the Hiatt Career Center. “We do this twice a year, and it’s really about bringing a diverse range of employers together to share job and internship opportunities with students. It’s also about helping students learn how to network and navigate a career fair.”
Hiatt’s team also introduced a “student support space,” designed to help attendees prepare to meet prospective employers before entering the main floor.
“When we first started hosting large-scale, in-person career fairs, we saw that students needed a bit more support,” O’Karma explained. “It can be overwhelming to walk into a room with 50 employers and know how to approach it. We want to make this a positive experience and show students that these kinds of events are doable — and even enjoyable.”
Connections across every field
The fair drew participation from organizations spanning nearly every industry, reinforcing the versatility of a Brandeis liberal-arts education.
“The wonderful thing about a liberal arts degree is that our alumni are working in every single industry,” O’Karma said. “Careers are not linear. Just because you majored in one thing doesn’t mean that has to define your entire career path. It’s about taking the experiences you’ve had and building a bigger picture.”
That message resonated with many students, including Tasbia Uddin ’29, who is still considering potential majors.
“I really wanted to explore different options in technology and healthcare and see what I want to do from there,” Uddin said. “Talking to different employers and seeing all the different paths I can pursue is really helpful in planning out my future.”
For Aaron Gold, a second-year master’s student in computer science, the event was an opportunity to make meaningful professional connections.
“Career fairs are a great chance to talk with people at companies you might not have interacted with before,” Gold said. “Even if you just make a few new connections, that’s a few more people who know your name. That can make a real difference when you’re applying later on.”
Opportunities for every student
The Hiatt Career Center offers comprehensive resources to help students and alumni explore careers, secure internships and jobs, and develop professional skills. From personalized advising and resume or cover letter guidance to interview preparation tools and job listings on Handshake, Hiatt supports every stage of career development.
Hiatt also provides funding for internships, a “Career Closet” with business attire, a LinkedIn photo booth to take a professional headshot and virtual tools for remote users. Hiatt hosts the career fair to help students begin thinking about what they may want to explore after graduation.
“Even if you’re not actively looking for a job, you can come to a career fair and have that experience connecting with employers,” O’Karma said. “There’s something here for everybody. We really try to make this an inclusive fair so that the most connections can happen.”
