By Draven Dabrowski
Sports Writer
The university held its inaugural EDGE Fair on Nov. 12, bringing dozens of employers, campus partners and mentorship opportunities to the Adanti Student Center as students explored ways to strengthen their career readiness.
Aimee O’Shea, the associate director of the Office of Career and Professional Development who oversaw the fair, said the goal was simple: make opportunities feel accessible.
“We wanted to answer a need our students have; they need an ‘EDGE’ in the job market,” O’Shea said. “They need to see themselves in roles that resonate and matter to their development.”
The EDGE Fair is part of a broader campus initiative led by OCPD to increase access to hands-on experiences that build resumes, confidence and career readiness. Those partners represented the four “Southern EDGE pathways” the office is launching: southern grounds, community connections, family foundations and beyond borders.
For some students, the fair served as a starting point for exploring many options within their major. Interdisciplinary studies major Connor Reed, a senior hoping to enter the field of artificial intelligence regulation, said the EDGE Fair helped him build confidence even when he was not sure he would find a perfect employer match at these fairs.
“I’m not sure I will find anything, but I still come here,” Reed said. “Even talking to people with relatively similar topics has been helpful. I am getting insight into the job market, and it links to human interaction, which can be helpful for students who are overwhelmed.”
Nursing major Kaylyn Rivera, a freshman, hoped to find opportunities related to healthcare or working with children, and she did.
“I actually made a lot of meaningful connections,” Rivera said. “Events like these really can help students get more comfortable looking for jobs after college.”
Many organizations at the fair had good things to say about the qualities which the university’s students bring to the table. Davaul Amin, an HR staff member from the West Haven Community House nonprofit, felt the fair was a natural fit for the program.
“We want to look for students interested in working in nonprofits,” Amin said.
The organization has regularly hired students from the university in children’s programs, praising how well students understand the needs of the local community.
“Southern students are very familiar with the culture and the needs of the area, which makes them great applicants,” Amin said.
Launched only a year ago, the Career Closet quickly became one of the fair’s most popular attractions.
Heidi Atuaful, the graduate intern for the OCPD, said its mission reflects the university’s commitment to supporting first-generation and low-income students.
“Professional clothing is expensive,” Atuaful said. “We wanted to give students the option to get clothing for free for their interviews and career opportunities.”
She noted that the EDGE Fair will continue to grow alongside their broader initiative.
“Now that we’ve established the fair, people will become more aware of what we have for them, and more students will come,” Atuaful said.
The EDGE Fair is only the beginning of a long-term shift on campus, one that instills experiential learning into the core of the university’s experience.
“EDGE will become a consistent part of how students understand their learning, their skills and their pathways forward,” O’Shea said.
For students who missed the event, all employers and partners are listed in the JOBSs portal, and the OCPD encourages students to reach out directly.
“The growth of the fair is important, but the real transformation lies in helping every student feel empowered,” O’Shea said.
