By Grace Esquibel, March 24, 2026
The College of Education & Integrative Studies hosted a career expo at the Bronco Student Center that acted as a resource hub for students March 12 with various school districts, non-profit organizations and internship opportunities. Lead CEIS Career Coach Lillian Nguyen organizes career expos every month to help students explore careers related to their major. Nguyen said although the expos are geared toward one set of programs, they’re open to all.
“We want students to be open-minded for opportunities that are available to them,” Nguyen said. Ngyuen explained career expos act as matchmaking for employers and students, which benefits both parties. The students get to network with employers to see what they are scouting for, and employers get to promote available roles. According to a 2026 High5Test statistics article, 45% of job fair attendees receive interviews and 24% secure the position. Nguyen added she has seen more students branch out of their majors in recent years, which helps them explore career pathways in unrelated fields. In a 2023 Routledge research article, the horizontal mismatch correlation between degree and career related occupation was estimated to be roughly 20%-30%. Meaning graduates with a specified degree often branch into a career that is not related to their degree.
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens employers Laura Sanders and Ren Markle sat at a decorated table with a book of art on display of several different art forms including paintings. According to Sanders and Markle, The Huntington’s education system focuses on sharing art history within the Southern California community.
“You don’t know the amount of careers that are out there until you get out into the world,” Sanders said.
Sanders encouraged students to explore options outside of the Career Center and in their own community to familiarize themselves with organizations, while Markle explained the importance of utilizing skill, creative or tactical set as career opportunities.
“Use your college years to explore every avenue that you’re offered,” Markle said. “Do not limit yourself to your major.”
History student Erianah Benjamin has a passion for the education system but said it was important to her journey to understand the teaching aspect behind the system first. CEIS offers majors in the education system and other teaching subjects for primary and secondary school. Benjamin’s end goal is to run her own chain of secondary schools with a different perspective on teaching. “The history books are only written in the perspective of the rich white man,” Benjamin said. “They’re not giving the perspective of everybody else. And we wonder why we have adults who have a hard time accepting people’s differences: cause they weren’t taught to.”
Benjamin elaborated on the idea that children are the most malleable in their formative years of life, which includes all the years spent in school. According to Benjamin, some personality traits are innate or derived from family and friends, while other traits are learned from authority figures such as teachers. In a K-12 education system that has been around for about 150 years, Benjamin believes it needs a revamp to better suit the societal needs of the youth.
“I want to change the narrative,” Benajmin said. “I want that system to stop.”
Hilda Lunde, a high school educator and Spanish student, attended her first career expo to broaden her opportunities because she wanted a change in her career. Many employers and attendees at the career expo expressed the importance of passion for being an educator or a moving piece within the education system. Lunde further expanded on how influential teachers’ roles are in students’ lives.
Despite English being her second language, Lunde is an English teacher who helps students who may struggle the same as her, to feel seen.
“People have done that for me,” Lunde said, “I think we have more to do in that regard.” The career expos are posted on CPP’s website under Career Center as they are made available. They also provide tips on how to best use the expos. The next Career Center event will be the College of Business Hyatt Information Session and Networking, March 25.
Feature image courtesy of Grace Esquibel
