A professional, business relationship can start with a simple conversation. 

At the annual Engineering and Technology Fair on Oct. 4, students had the opportunity to meet with employers.

There were 30 employer partners at the event, with some of these individuals being TCU alumni. 

“Students consistently give us feedback that they love the intimacy of the conversations they have at this fair because we have so many alumni attending,” said Gabriela Pineider, College of Science and Engineering career consultant. 

Pineider added that the alumni were happy to engage with students. 

“Our alumni tell us that they love the preparation that they see with our students and how they come in and represent themselves,” said Pineider.

Aime Byiringiro, a sophomore computer science major, attended the fair with the intention to see what he hopes will be his future employer, WebTech. He recently interviewed with a TCU alumna at the company. 

“They came to the last general fair [fall Career and Intern Expo] and one of my friends, she’s doing engineering, she told me, ‘go and talk to that company, I think they can give you an internship,’” said Byiringiro. 

Byiringiro is an international student from Rwanda. He mentioned that it is more competitive to get a job back home, so speaking with employers in the U.S. is easier.

“I think that back home it’s way more competitive,” said Byiringiro. “Yes, there is still competition here in the U.S., but I think career fairs are not a big thing at home.” 

The event had approximately 100 students in attendance, said Pineider. Students who have apprehensions about coming to the yearly fair are still encouraged to attend.

“These employers love nothing more than making personal connections with our students,” said Pineider. “I can promise almost every student will be surprised by what they have to offer to our employers that come and visit.