SU Alumni Recruit Current Students During Spring Job and Internship Fair

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University’s Career Services Office recently provided opportunities for more than 600 students seeking employment and experiential learning placements during this spring’s Sea Gull Job and Internship Fair.

“It’s beneficial to contact a lot of good employers, get your name out there and get your foot in the door,” said Zachary Hubbard, an information systems and business management major from Boonsboro, MD, who also attended last semester’s fair.

“There were a lot of great employers, and everyone had really great insight to give,” agreed Travis Farrell, a management major from Clements, MD.

Some representatives of the companies represented at the fair were on Hubbard’s and Farrell’s side of the table themselves at one point. SU alumni made up many of the potential employers at the event.

“The incentive to hire an SU graduate is that they’re coming from a good school,” said Douglas Brackins ’20, representing Keller Brothers, a Mt. Airy, MD-based construction services company with an office in Salisbury.

“When I was at Salisbury, the big thing that I learned [as a management major] was how to work with people and talk to people. There are good programs, whether those are academics or athletics, that the students are coming from.”

Christy South ’12, M’19 staff data manager from Somerset County Public Schools, echoed that sentiment.

“We love to hire local,” she said. “We know the quality of the SU program, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

“SU supports the type of culture that would greatly benefit [the Worcester County Developmental Center (WCDC)] because [graduates] are very in tune with their local community,” agreed Erica Cook ’14, WCDC residential services director.

The opportunity to attract highly educated employees who are from — or have developed an affinity for — the region also is a plus for Echo Hill Outdoor School, which helps children explore nature, history and more, through outdoor education programs in Betterton, MD.

“Geographically, it’s wonderful to have students who are familiar with Maryland’s Eastern Shore who have developed a love and passion for the Chesapeake Bay and want to continue living on Delmarva,” said Amanda Fry ’07, Echo Hill senior educator. “Much of our curriculum is science based. SU’s outdoor leadership and natural science programs are so robust that they further influence [graduates’] teaching at the outdoor school.”

For BDK, Inc., a family-owned information technology solutions provider from Easton, MD, SU is an especially attractive source for potential employees. Its cofounder, Edwina Kimball, earned her B.S. in information systems from SU in 1985. Her daughter, Tiffany McCabe ’12, M’14, BDK marketing manager, was one of two SU graduates representing the company at the job fair.

“Salisbury is pretty near and dear to our company. We have a legacy,” said McCabe. “We employ SU students, and we’re able to foster talent. A lot of students think that they have to go across the [Chesapeake Bay] Bridge to get a job that will provide them with financial stability and benefits, but in reality, it’s the local small businesses that provide the human touch. Whenever we find good students, we want to hire them vs. their going somewhere else.”

“It’s very important to our company to hire local talent, added account manager Frank Gunsallus IV ’11.

Organizations beyond the Eastern Shore also sought out talent from SU.

“SU has a good reputation” said Lt. Andy Taglienti ’02 of the Rockville, MD, City Police Department (RCPD). “The students I’ve met here, as well as the graduates, seem to be doing well in their education and careers.”

RCPD Officer Tyler Haines ’13 noted that SU helped him down the path that propelled him into his current position.

“Salisbury was relatively affordable compared to other universities,” he said. “That gave me the option to make multiple choices before I really locked down on a career in law enforcement.”

Kelly Jones ’04, talent acquisition specialist with TidalHealth Peninsula Regional, also credited SU with giving her with the background she needed to begin her career.

“SU provided me with the basic foundations of business so that I could better prepare myself when searching for jobs and finding my career,” she said.

She noted the level of skill and dedication she saw in current students she spoke with at the job fair, as well as those already interning and working at TidalHealth.

“We love SU students, and we have had lots of success with hiring SU students in the past,” she said. “They come prepared to work, and they are excited about being a part of our team.”

With such a wide variety of employers at the job fair, students like Abbey Murphy, a conflict analysis and dispute resolution and psychology major from Crofton, MD, were able to discuss potential careers with representatives from multiple fields.

“There was something for everyone,” she said. “I made so many great connections with potential employers and am so grateful to have had that opportunity.”

In all, some 147 employers and 14 sponsors took part in the fair, making it SU’s largest yet, according to Clare Tauriello, interim director of career services.

“These career events instill a culture of success on campus, which is so helpful to students and employers,” she said. “We are so excited about the results.”

Learn more about opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at the SU website.