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On Friday, April 26, UND’s SAMA Club hosted one of the largest aviation collegiate events to exist. Dozens of employers and representatives flocked to the UND Flight Operations center hangar, filling the space with a wide variety of experience, wisdom, and talent to share with UND students as well as others in attendance. Companies such as United, NetJets, Delta, Frontier, Garmin, NBAA, and Piper were among some of those in attendance. Each company sent a few representatives to share companies’ missions, and explore the talent offered by UND students. While the Career Fair functioned as an exceptional chance to scout for internship and job opportunities, it also was a fantastic event to gather information regarding companies, their missions, and details about their career and hiring processes.
While exploring the different booths, there was an abundance of handouts and information that you would not know from surface level knowledge of each company. For example, NetJets had many brochures regarding their aircraft fleet size, their base locations, and various scholarship and internship opportunities. The NetJets table was attended by multiple individuals who were eager to answer questions and provide insight regarding NetJets’ mission and company. This was one of the most visited booths, providing multiple handouts for everyone who visited.
Each booth did an excellent job promoting their company and answering questions. Various companies did an excellent job at conveying the different steps to preparing to enter the industry. Most booths had handouts with steps on signing up for pathway programs to expedite the process to the airlines. Opportunities such as internships, pathway programs and scholarships were among some of the resources advertised to help UND students with their career development. Many students who attended the event seemed hopeful of networking and building connections.
In addition to the exceptional resources provided, the sense of community that the event provided was incredible. For many of the booths, the representatives were UND alumni, simply coming back to visit and support their Alma Mater for their companies. The aviation industry came around full circle last Friday, supporting the rather small but mighty industry. Many representatives were eager to learn students’ names and encourage them to dream big and keep working hard. When in college, it can be difficult to keep sight of the bigger picture, but events like the SAMA Career Fair provided an opportunity to see the joy of the aviation community. It showed students that their dreams and goals are very attainable. Events like the SAMA Career Fair provide UND students with remarkable experiences and information, and this year was no exception.
Sadie Blace is a Dakota Student Section Editor. She can be reached at [email protected].
