In partnership with Green Quad, Sustainable Carolina hosted the third annual Green Career Fair on Wednesday evening. The Green Career Fair gives students the opportunity to meet and network with companies and organizations that offer internships, volunteer opportunities and careers in the sustainability field.
When organizing the fair, third-year environmental science student Austin Sutherland wanted students of all majors to be able to benefit from the fair as much as a student with a “green” major would.
“The idea was to get a lot of organizations and companies that applied to all majors but with sustainability involved,” Sutherland said.
Jobs in the “green field” aren’t easily found for students, and many students might not know where to look. The larger Career Fair offers many opportunities for a variety of majors, but Sutherland noticed that sustainable jobs and opportunities were missing.
“Students have had trouble finding green jobs and volunteer opportunities," he said. "Students have requested for us to do a Green Career Fair because it’s often overlooked.”
Dressed in their business attire, students moved from booth to booth learning about the different opportunities that were available to them. With the fair’s focus on sustainability, students were able to talk one-on-one with representatives in a smaller setting than they would at the regular Career Fair. Students learned about internships such as the Sustainable Midlands’ educational outreach internship; the social media and marketing internship; and the membership and volunteer coordination internship. Sustainable Midlands representative Katie Welborn said that her organization has opportunities for all majors.
“Political science majors can get involved with Grass Roots Advocacy, and communication majors can intern with social media marketing and event management, and any student can volunteer with Food Alliance and farm tours,” Welborn said.
The Green Career Fair also gave students the opportunity to learn about sustainability and how they can get involved. Second-year advertising student Ivy McCleary attended the fair because she wanted to broaden her horizons and learn more about sustainability.
“I’m looking for different volunteering opportunities that I could participate in and even get my sorority (Alpha Gamma Delta) to do,” McCleary said.
The Green Career Fair offered students a pathway to jobs and internships in a field that is often underrepresented. It is one of many events and programs that Sustainable Carolina offers students throughout the year. Sutherland hopes that students not only left the fair with internship and job opportunities, but also with a better understanding of Sustainable Carolina as a whole.