Monroe Brings Students and Jobs Together in New Rochelle

Students and alumni of talked to prospective employers Monday during a Part-time Job Fair.

Carol Genese, associate vice president for the Office of Career Advancement at Monroe, said the effort was to help keep students in school.

"We saw that with the cutback in federal work study programs, fewer students would be able to take advantage of that," she said.

Getting the students in front of people who could hire them would enable the students to offset expenses by working part-time jobs.

But that's only part of one student's reason for attending the job fair, which was held at the .

Geraldine Valentin, a Monroe freshman studying criminal justice, was waiting on line to speak to a representative of the New York Police Department Police Cadet Corp.

"I'm looking for a job in the field I'm studying," the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, resident said, "anything I can do to advance my career and to help me grow."

NYPD Office Jose Rivera said the job fair was a premier spot from which to recruit students interested in paid internships with the department.

"We are looking for students seeking a bachelor's degree who will want to become professional police officers," he said. 

Rivera hastened to add that the NYPD is not just looking for criminal justice students. There are internships in many other fields within the department.

"The opportunities are endless in the New York Police Department," he said.

Khoyann Evans, 19, from the U.S. Virgin Islands, is studying hospitality services at Monroe, with her sites set on possible careers in catering or hotel management.

She, too, is looking for experience which will help her career choices and look good on her resume.

Evans admits the extra money will help. "But it's a combination of both," she said.

Genese said about 23 employers were scheduled to attend the job fair. The college tries to set up at least two part-time and two full-time job fairs each year.

She said Monday's fair was organized over the last three weeks.

"The last part-time fair we had 200 jobs available," Genese, adding employers are required to have actual positions available in order to particpate in the job fair.

The Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the Bronx Zoo, was looking for a number of positions to be filled for the summer months, including work as servers, bartenders, greets and porters.

Jacqui Dauphinais, a senior events coordinator for the society, said Monroe's hospitality services students and their proximity to the Bronx Zoo were important.

"It interests us specifically," she said.

Genese said all the registered students and alumni were given a list of employers and the types of positions that might be available in advance of the fair.

"That way the students can do research ahead of time," she said, and be more informed about prospective employers.

Businesses attending the fair included Ann Taylor, Double Tree Hotel, Camp Winadu, JP Morgan Chase and the Police Athletic League.