SAEM Career Event Connects Students to Opportunities Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Point Park hosted 46 companies, sports teams and nonprofits last month to provide SAEM students with a convenient way to meet representatives face-to-face.
Now in its third year, the Sports, Arts and Entertainment Management Career Event attracted more than 250 students to the University's Student Center. While the event is focused on companies that offer SAEM positions, all Point Park students are invited to attend.
There were dozens of returning employer participants this year, including First Niagara Pavilion/Live Nation, Radio Disney, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and KDKA-TV / WPCW-TV. First-time guests included Active Pittsburgh, Art Resource Teaching Society, Royal Grandeur, Tickets for Kids Charities, Walking Thumbs and WORD FM. In addition to networking, panel discussions led by local experts were offered on the live entertainment business, the industry of sport, new media and the performing arts.
That evening, several of Point Park's senior SAEM students attended a VIP networking event at Stage AE for more one-on-one networking opportunities with employers.
"The career fair is bigger and better each year," said Angela Scaramucci, coordinator of employer relations in the Career Development Center, "and we also invite other members of the Western Pennsylvania Career Services Association (WestPACS)." Universities transported students from as far away as Latrobe, Waynesburg and Erie to the popular event.
"I live on campus, so all I had to do is walk down the sidewalk to the Student Center to attend," said Eric Stonebraker, a junior SAEM major who attended Kiski Area high School in Avonmore, PA. He chose Point Park to prepare for a career in minor league hockey operations or marketing. "The contacts our professors have help students to have an edge when pursuing internships and employment," he said.
Point Park students who registered received the list of organizations - and their internship opportunities - in advance. This allowed them to research and otherwise prepare to maximize their time and meet the companies best suited to their interests and career goals.
"I was able to make personal connections with representatives from different organizations, such as Live Nation, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Stage AE, that I otherwise would not have made," said Keenan Parrish, a junior SAEM major who graduated from Pittsburgh's North Allegheny High School.
Calvin Jackson, vice president of ticket sales and service for arena football team Pittsburgh Power, noted the professionalism of the students he met at the fair. "I was also impressed with some of the students' past internship experiences," said Jackson, whose organization has recruited Point Park students through career fairs and the Career Development Center.