Held at Marist’s NYC Executive Center, the event connected students to public relations agencies, media outlets, and more.


March 3, 2020—In February, the Marist New York City Executive Center was bustling: Marist students, alumni, and staff were interacting with prospective employers at the College’s first career fair held at the College’s NYC location.

Co-sponsored by the Center for Career Services and School of Communication and the Arts, the Communications, TV, & Film Internship and Job Fair was held on February 13. Marist sophomores, juniors, and seniors who had concentrations within the Communication and TV/Film majors were invited to attend the fair.

Gerry McNulty, Director of Communication Internships and Assistant Professor in the School of Communication and the Arts, organized the event along with Stephanie Graham ’15, Internship Program Coordinator in the Center for Career Services.

Representatives from all 17 employers that attended were in recruiting roles and many were Marist alumni. Some of the companies who met with students included DeVries Global, Discovery, Inc., GroupM, and Macmillan Publishers.

“We were very pleased with the response from so many employers who were eager to interview our students for jobs and internships,” McNulty said. “The feedback we received from employers showed how so many of our students were well-prepared to compete.”

Graham said the timing of the fair was meant to coincide with communications companies’ upcoming application deadlines. “It was very exciting to host the first internship and job fair at Marist’s NYC space,” Graham said. “Students were able to meet with employers from the public relations, advertising, and journalism industries and learn about internship and full-time opportunities. It was also great to see such strong alumni participation. The fair was very timely as many students are actively applying to summer internships and entry-level positions.”

A group of 58 students traveled to New York City to network with the employers as they continued their search for summer internships, full-time jobs, or other professional development opportunities. Michael Major ’21, who has Public Relations and Journalism concentrations, attended the fair looking for an internship for the summer of 2020. He said attending the fair enabled him to see the different paths he could take with his degree.

“I enjoyed getting to know employees in a professional environment,” Michael said. “The representatives were all in the communications industry, and it was really valuable to learn about a wide variety of organizations including communications firms and media outlets.”

Courtney Klopfer ’13 attended the event on behalf of Zeno Group, a global, integrated communications agency. She has worked for the agency for four years and is currently an Account Supervisor. Courtney said the event allowed her to speak to students about specific tasks they would perform on the job more so than other fairs that she attended.

“It was nice to talk to students who were well versed in public relations so that we were speaking the same language when it came to things like press releases and pitches,” Klopfer said. “We could give them a better idea of what they would be doing day-to-day as an employee.”

Brandon Lee Heard ’17, a strategist at marketing and advertising agency R/GA, enjoyed giving back to his alma mater at the fair and felt like the networking between students and employers came naturally.

“The one thread of us being part of the red fox family makes the connections so much more genuine,” Heard said. “It was easier to understand the perspectives of students when they came to your table.”

McNulty said the student interactions with the employers and Marist alumni were the most valuable aspects of the event.

“After the event, students made it clear that they thought the job fair was a success,” McNulty said. “They got a chance to meet directly with recruiters and demonstrate their abilities and skills. That’s a big confidence booster.’’