Ryan Clark, of Frost Tool and Fastening, speaks with Thomas Skouby, an electrical engineering student, about sales and management training programs at the company during the Fall Internship and Job Fair at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)

Kimberly Barrera knew exactly where she could find the proper guidance and resources to prepare for the Fall Internship and Career Fair at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

The international business major went to Career Services – the one-stop shop for career development needs on campus – before the event to have her resume reviewed by staff members and to take part in interview preparation exercises. Barrera, who is expecting to graduate in December, participated in mock interviews and crafted her elevator pitch for potential employers.

She is currently interning with a financial services firm to build her resume and was interested to see how an internship next year might fit into her plans to continue her education in the supply chain and analytics master’s program in the Ed G. Smith College of Business.

Friday Morning, Barrera roamed the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, handing out copies of her polished resume to employers. She was intent on speaking with representatives from Boeing but was happy to talk with other companies as well. Several recruiters even offered to help her fine-tune her pitch on the fly.

“The advice that I was given today was to talk about how my current internship and how my skills can be transferred over to a new internship or a full-time position,” Barrera said. “So, explaining what I do, my skills and what I can bring to the table for them.”

The Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center saw a steady flow of UMSL students and alumni from Friday morning into the afternoon.

Senior finance majors Aaron Wicklund and Callie Clinton were also making the rounds at the annual event. Wicklund, who has worked as a building manager at the Recreation and Wellness Center, was looking to increase his industry experience before graduating in May. Clinton has steadily built up her resume with internships at Enterprise Mobility and a financial planning firm in Tennessee, but she wanted to explore options for the future.

“I’m still not exactly sure where I want my career path to go,” she said. “So, I’m taking any chance I get to have more insight on what I want.”

The pair entered the Touhill lobby ready to make an impression. Like Barrera, they carried stacks of resumes and were prepared with talking points. In particular, Clinton made sure she had a list of questions to ask employers.

“I was asking if they were hiring for full-time, when to apply for jobs, considering we graduate in May, and what working at their company would look like as an entry-level employee,” Clinton said.

Barrera, Clinton and Wicklund were just three of more than 530 students and alumni who attended the event. More than 230 representatives from 88 organizations took advantage of the opportunity to connect with attendees face-to-face.

The long list of companies in attendance included regional industry leaders, such as Ameren, Boeing, Emerson, Enterprise Mobility and Spire. Other employers represented a diverse group of organizations from biosciences and biotechnology – Bayer and bioMérieux – to federal agencies – the Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency – to professional athletics – St. Louis CITY SC.

Jordan Shackelford, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, was angling for his first internship. Shackelford has worked as an electrician while finishing his bachelor’s degree, but despite that experience, his professors stressed the importance of securing an engineering internship before graduating. He decided to take advantage of the opportunity to meet employers in person, especially companies such as ArchKey Solutions, Boeing and MiTek, Inc.

“I felt very prepared,” Shackelford said. “It’s been smooth with the conversations. Plus, the people who are here are great communicators, so it’s pretty easy to talk to almost anybody.”

Allison Ford, a junior data analytics and data science major with a focus in mathematics, talks with Crystal Pruitt, UMSL alum and sales effectiveness specialist at Hussmann Corporation. Pruitt gave her an overview of the 12-week summer internship program and other opportunities with the company.

Clinton and Wicklund had similarly positive experiences after their first round of conversations. Clinton added that several recruiters eagerly asked for resumes, something she considered a “big green flag.” Overall, Barrera was very impressed with the event.

“I think it’s great,” Barrera said. “I love all the career fairs here. I think it’s good to come out and see the different employers and learn about the different opportunities for yourself.”

UMSL alum Crystal Pruitt was in attendance representing Hussmann Corporation, a leader in commercial refrigeration equipment. Pruitt graduated from UMSL in 2011 with a BSBA in international business and also played four seasons on the Tritons softball team.

Pruitt, now a sales effectiveness specialist with the company, returned to campus to recruit for a 12-week summer internship program. She said Hussmann typically looks for juniors and seniors to fill roles in areas ranging from engineering design to marketing. She touted the paid program, which won a 2025 Campus Forward Award, and the company’s success in transitioning interns into full-time roles.

“We’ve seen a lot of computer science students, a lot of engineering students, which is great for us,” she said, commenting on the flow of students. “I think it’s been really good and really conversational. A lot of people are learning what commercial refrigeration is. We’ve been around for over 100 years, so food retailing isn’t going anywhere.”

Representatives from Boeing and Bayer were among the 88 companies to attend the event.

UMSL alum Nina Nguyen was also on hand to speak with attendees about engineering opportunities at Emerson. Nguyen graduated from the UMSL/Washington University Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program in 2022 and parlayed her co-op position with the company into a full-time role as associate project manager.

Having attended several career fairs as an UMSL student, Nguyen knew what it was like to be “on the other side of the table.” She did her best to offer guidance and stressed that an internship or co-op could easily turn into a career with Emerson.

“The students are very outgoing, and they’re willing to work with you,” she said. “They ask all the right questions, actually. If we don’t have any positions open for a major, they take the step and ask what they can do to get on Emerson’s radar. I like them being proactive and outgoing.”

Allyson Small, a recruiter for Veterans United Home Loans, found herself on the UMSL campus for the second time this year. Small said Veterans United tries to attend every career fair at UMSL because the return on investment has been so good for the company, particularly its St. Louis office.

“The interactions today have been great,” Small said. “No complaints from UMSL, ever. It’s always great interactions with UMSL students, so we love coming here.”