By LAURA SANICOLA

For college students eager to gain employment or acceptance to graduate school upon graduation, every season is internship season. Fordham students who attended Lincoln Center’s Career and Internship Fair: Arts, Media and Service at Fordham University on Jan. 29 from 3-6 p.m. were well aware of that fact. Dressed in sharp business attire and with rresumes in hand, the students were prepared to greet several well-known companies in various industries, including ABC 7, CBS Local and SONY music entertainment.

Vince Favetta, FCRH ’14, has been to one of Fordham’s internship fairs before, but never held an internship. “I’m an art history major, but my real love is for communications. CBS News and News 12 is here at the internship fair, and ABC even has an internship to work on ‘LIVE with Kelly and Michael,’” Favetta said.

However, Favetta was also drawn to a theater production internship where he would be able to work as an educator and witness the students perform in a production at the end of a semester.

“There are so many diverse options here that it’s hard to choose what you’d like to do,” he said.

The prospect of interning with service corporations like Habitat for Humanity and the Peace Corps intrigued anthropology major Lauren Giangrasso, FCLC ’15.

“This is my first time at an internship fair, but this setup is really accessible,” said Giangrasso, referring to the rows of tables where representatives greeted students, answered questions and took resumes. “I just gave my resume to Habitat for Humanity in hopes to do a social impact survey in February. I will get to travel to people whose homes have been renovated or built by Habitat for Humanity and survey how it has influenced their lives.”

As to what draws employers to recruit and hire Fordham students, Sarah Abrams of the Shakespeare Society commented, “Fordham students are professional, reliable and proactive. They know how to take a task and roll with it, and that is what makes them attractive and valuable interns for companies.”

Interns for the Shakespeare Society can work in the education department, developing curriculums, doing administrative work and getting hands on experience with students. In the visual arts department, interns deal with web and graphic design, online fundraising, event planning and more.

Fordham does not simply ask companies to attend these career and internship fairs. Kathlene Lewis, the associate director of employer relations and the Gabelli School of Business liaison, explained that some companies request to recruit at Fordham and often return for several years.

“Do your research on these companies before you come to the fair,” Lewis advises students. “Preparation is part of the experience.”

Giangrasso agreed. “Look into all the companies and pinpoint what you’re interested in, but keep your mind open. You never know what will end up being the perfect internship for you,” she said.

The next career and internship fair will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 12 from 1-4 p.m. in the McGinley Center 2nd Floor Ballroom at Rose Hill.

Laura Sanicola is the Assistant News Editor at The Fordham Ram.