This past week, on Feb. 19, Career Services held the Spring 2014 Career Fair, with over thirty companies, businesses and the armed forces from San Antonio and the surrounding region coming to Laurie Auditorium, offering students a chance to connect and network.

The fair was held in the halls surrounding Laurie Auditorium from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students were asked to swipe their Tiger Cards at a career services table.

To Twyla Hough, director of career services, the event offered something for everyone, not just upperclassmen.

“For freshmen, they might be asking, “˜why would I come to career fair?” Hough said. “They should be asking questions. What are employers looking for? What can I do to be prepared in the future?”

For upperclassmen, the event was an opportunity to really make connections with employers and look for internships and jobs.

“For juniors, it is a chance for networking with employers for careers or internships,” Hough said. “It is hard as a senior to do in-depth research on employers, so as juniors it’s important to be prepared.”

This mentality rang true with students attending the event, who were eager to see what opportunities the various companies presented to them.

To junior Nico Estrada, the career fair allowed him make connections with possible future employers and get an idea of his options.

“I’m looking for internship opportunities and just the basic idea of options and what jobs are interested in coming to Trinity,” Estrada said. “It forces me to interact with people and hopefully make connections.”

Likewise, for senior John Nguyen, the event was a chance to look for job opportunities while planning for graduate school.

“I’m going to be graduating soon and was looking into graduate school”, Nguyen said. “In the meantime I need to be flexible and look for jobs and opportunities while working on figuring out graduate school.”

To those who attended the fair, the benefits were clear. By connecting with real people, they hoped to make good relationships and further their future career and build experience.

“You can’t lose anything,” Nguyen said. “It’s not a scary thing at all; it allows you to get connections and an idea of what you are really interested in.”

Just as students are looking to find what they want to do, the companies are looking for good future employees. To many, Trinity students represent great assets that they are looking to recruit into their companies.

“Overall we have many alumni coming back that want to bring students in,” Hough said. “Most employers are very interested in Trinity students, and they want that quality of students associated with the university.”

To those who graduated from Trinity, in their success, they recognize the bright futures of students at Trinity, something that they want to foster and develop. Using the same skills as those still here, alumni like Nicole Hall, class of 2011, realizes how important Trinity’s education is for the workplace.

“A lot of people ask “˜why a liberal arts school?,'” Hall said. “You can teach employees technical skills, but you can’t provide them with life experiences and other skills like the ability to communicate, a cultured background and a love of learning. Trinity offers that avenue for students.”