Clark students, alumni, community members, and local employers participated in Clark’s Career Connect event geared for students enrolled or interested in programs in the college’s Public Service, Society and Education area of study on May 7 in PUB 161.

Advising Services, Career Services, and Student Success Coaches worked together to staff the event and assist students. These departments partnered with faculty to coordinate timing for the event that would make the most sense for Education student participation.  Faculty also participated in the event as one of the important supportive resources for students in this area of study.

The Career Services team organized the event: Emily Meoz, Trisha Haakonstad, Niira Krupnick, and Alex Kison, with support from student employee Liz Knapp. Kison led logistics.

In 2023, the Career Services team hosted a large-scale Career Fair in Gaiser Student Center that included all the college’s departments and programs. This year, the team is creating smaller events called “Career Connect” focused on only one or two areas of study per event. The first Career Connect in March focused on the Business and Entrepreneurship area of study.

Emily Meoz, director of Advising and Career Services, said, “After hosting two Career Connect events in the last few months, we are optimistic that the format of these smaller scale and more focused area of study events will create tangible opportunities for students and community members to make meaningful career and academic connections. We plan to offer Career Connect events for every area of study at Clark during the 2024-2025 academic year.” 

Connecting with Clark’s services

During the Career Connect event, Clark student Dana Bunnell chatted with DJ Scates, one of Clark’s three Student Success Coaches who work with students on time management, study skills, goal setting, and more.

Bunnell graduated from Clark College with an associate degree in early childhood education in June 2023. Now she has nearly completed her first year in Clark’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Teacher Education (BASTE) program. It’s the next step on her career path to become a teacher.

Like most Clark students, Bunnell has become an expert multitasker who squeezes time for schoolwork between caregiving for family members, household responsibilities, and more. But even an experienced multitasker can learn new practices to make her more productive and her life less stressful. Scates stepped up to help.

Connecting with employers

As students checked in, they were given a list of sample questions that make it easier for students to practice talking with a potential employer about opportunities. Questions include:

• What qualifications do you typically look for in candidates?
• What type of college major or degree/certificate is valuable in this industry or typical positions you hire for?
• Are there professional organizations or connection events/opportunities that you suggest I know about?

Students also received a Career Connect BINGO card that identified specific tasks to complete at the event. These included having a conversation with an employer, learning about a job opportunity, and receiving guidance from an academic advisor.

Then, with questions and BINGO cards in hand, students entered PUB 161, where local employers were ready to talk with students about job opportunities. The following employers participated in Career Connect:

• Vancouver Public Schools talked with students about paraeducators to work with children in a variety of settings, from classroom to playground.
• Educational Services District 112 spoke with students about job opportunities including special education paraeducators, bus drivers, secretaries, and more.
• Washington DSHS Behavioral Health Administration talked about 250 positions the agency will hire to work at a new residential treatment center opening in spring 2025 near WSU Vancouver.
• Educational Opportunities for Children & Families (EOCF) talked to students about positions including Early Head Start teacher assistant, preschool bus driver, preschool teacher assistant, and more.
• iUrban Teen shared their Future Teachers Pathway Fellowship program with students. This paid work-based learning opportunity for young adults to provide academic support and mentorship to elementary and middle school students is in partnership with the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation, Vancouver Public Schools, and other local school districts.

Make connections

Advising Services: advising@clark.edu or (360) 992-2345 or GHL 108
Career Services: careerservices@clark.edu or (360) 992-2902 or GHL 108
Student Success Coaches: Schedule a session here

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish

The lobby in Scarpelli Hall was a hub of activity in the midafternoon of March 5. Fueled by free pizza, salad, and cold drinks, students had opportunities to connect with faculty, staff, and potential employers.

More than 60 students, alumni, and community members participated in Clark’s Career Connect event geared for students enrolled in programs in the college’s Business and Entrepreneurship area of study. The event was organized by the Career Services team: Emily Meoz, Alex Kison, Trisha Haakonstad, and Niira Krupnick, with support from student employee Liz Knapp. Kison led the logistics. Last May, the college’s Career Services team hosted a large-scale Career Fair in Gaiser Student Center featuring 70 regional employers, attended by more than 300 students, alumni, and community members. That event was broad and included all the college’s departments and programs.

This year, the team decided to create a smaller event focused on only one area of study. Instead of asking students to trek to Gaiser Hall, the career fair was held in Scarpelli Hall, where most of the college’s in-person Business and Entrepreneurship classes are held. It made sense to invite the students to gather in the familiar lobby just outside their classrooms. Starting the event at 3:30 proved to be thoughtful timing to catch students. Offering free pizza proved to be another successful enticement.

Emily Meoz, director of Advising & Career Services (pictured above), explained the team’s impetus to transition from a very large, broad event to a smaller, focused career fair: “The Career Connect event idea started as a mini-career fair idea, which grew into a broader connection and career event idea, to include staff and faculty who support students in a particular area of study alongside employers from the related industry. Finding ways to adapt what we’re doing to make more meaningful connections and opportunities for students is exciting.”

Advising Services, Career Services, and Student Success Coaches worked together to staff the event and assist students.

Students stopped at a table to chat with Business faculty Mary Evens, Helen Martin, and Julie Lemmond, who answered their questions.

Student Success Coach Lana Strickland assisted students and addressed how a success coach could help them.

Career Services staff were available to take professional LinkedIn portraits to aid students, alumni, and community members in their job search.

Clark College Human Resources staff assisted those interested in applying for an open position at the college. Other employers, including IQ Credit Union, Columbia Springs, Neil Jones Food Company, and Rally Pizza were on hand to talk with students about work opportunities and internships.

Students were given a list of sample questions to ask potential employers. That made it easier to practice talking with a potential employer about opportunities.

In this smaller, more intimate venue, students mingled with like-minded students they might already know from their classes. They had opportunities to speak with professors in their program.

Meoz said, “Overall, this was a great pilot Career Connect event. It serves as an example of how we can bring faculty, staff, and employers together to support students based on area of study. I was impressed with how the Career Services team came together to make this idea a reality in a relatively short period of planning time.”

Career Services promoted the event to students via:

• Emailing students in Business and Entrepreneurship area of study programs
• Working closely with faculty to promote the event to their students
• Advertising the event in Penguin Digest
• Promoting the event through social media

Looking around at the students making connections, Theo Koupelis, Clark’s Dean of Workforce, Professional and Technical Education (WPTE) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), summed it up: “It’s buzzing! It’s buzzing!”

Career Connect Q & A

Q: What was the impetus for moving away from the big Career Fair format in Gaiser Student Center to this smaller, more focused event?

A: We had a great turnout at the big Career Fair during spring 2023. We considered doing the same style of event again. The larger style Career Fairs can be great and very exciting, but they can also be overwhelming for participants and hard to assess whether they are effective for students making progress towards finding job and internship opportunities.

The Career Connect event idea started as a mini-career fair idea, which grew into a broader connection and career event idea, to include staff and faculty who support students in a particular area of study alongside employers from the related industry. Finding ways to adapt what we’re doing to make more meaningful connections and opportunities for students is exciting.

Q: Were you pleased with the attendance?

A: Yes! Since this was a brand-new event, we were not sure what to expect, but we had great collaboration and support from some faculty members who brought their classes or shared directly with their students. We had a successful pilot event.

Q: What were some positives about this event?

A: It was great to see students engaging in an intentional way with the employers, faculty, and staff. The focused nature of this small Career Connect event created an intimate space that was not as overwhelming as a large career fair can sometimes be.

Q: What tools did you provide to assist students in making connections at the event?

A: We developed a Bingo card to encourage participants to connect across the event. We will use the completed Bingo cards as an assessment tool to see how students made connections and engaged during the event.

We also provided students with sample career exploration questions to help guide their conversations and connections. Some employers told us that they were impressed with the kind of intentional questions students were asking.

Q: Will you have similar Career Connect events during spring term?

A: Yes, that is the plan. We haven’t identified dates or specific areas of study yet, as we wanted to first see how this pilot event went for Business and Entrepreneurship. Now that we have a solid foundational event to build upon, we look forward to seeing how we can adapt these events for other areas of study at Clark. We’re eager to work with our faculty and staff partners and local employers to plan more Career Connect events for spring. Our long-term plan is for each area of study to have a Career Connect event at least once during an academic year beginning fall 2024.

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish

It’s become an annual tradition: hundreds of Clark College students showing up to meet potential employers as graduation looms near. But while Clark’s Career Fair has become a familiar part of the academic cycle, not everyone realizes how many of those employer booths are staffed by former Clark students—some of whom attended the fair themselves, once upon a time.

Leslie Matheney, an HR generalist for Burgerville, remembered attending the fair before graduating from Clark in 2008 with her associate degree. “At the time, I wasn’t really ready for it,” she said, noting that she had just been looking for part-time work as she geared up to transfer to WSU Vancouver, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources and personal psychology.

Matheney, who was at the May 3 fair to recruit seasonal crew members and managers, said she felt being a Clark graduate helped her when she did start looking for full-time, permanent employment. “I think, especially because I was looking for a position at a local company, it was good,” she said. “I think that Clark is really well respected in this area.”

Sgt. Fred Nieman stands with a colleague at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office table.

Sergeant Fred Neiman, who was recruiting for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, said that his workplace also values the diversity of Clark’s student body. “What we look for is folks who have a variety of education and background,” he said. “You deal with all kinds of people in public safety. So to have a background of diverse education and experiences, and knowing how to interact with lots of different kinds of people—that’s valuable.”

Neiman has a long personal connection with Clark College. Not only did he attend classes here in the late 1970s, but he came back to work as its Director of Security for eight years. Clark is also where he met his wife, and their three children all earned associate degrees from the college.

“It’s a wonderful institution,” he said. “I enjoyed attending here when I was a student, and I enjoyed working here when I was an employee.”

Vicky Barnes also has a child who graduated from Clark. She earned her own associate degree here—with highest honors, no less—while he was still a teen.

Vicki Barnes

“I often got mistaken for a professor on campus,” laughed Barnes, who was at the fair to recruit for Woodland Public School, where she is the HR coordinator and district office manager. Barnes said she enjoyed her time as a Penguin, even though it meant long days—she attended Clark while working at WPS. “This is something I wanted to show my kids—that you can be a life-long learner.”

“It definitely benefited me in HR,” she said. “You learn how to engage with people, how to get out of your comfort zone.”

As if to prove this, she quickly turned to a woman eyeing her display of job descriptions to answer questions about open positions in the district.

According to Clark College Employer Relations Specialist Scott Clemans, 15 of the 110 employers who registered for this year’s fair indicated that they would have Clark College alumni present.

“Smart companies send alumni to events like these because they’re great role models and mentors for current Clark students,” Clemans said. “The alumni show current students what’s possible after college, and give great advice on how to achieve it. And of course, they relate to Clark students on a level that other recruiters simply can’t.”

Clemans added that the fair was an impressive success. “Not only did we have 110 employers registered to attend—the maximum the O’Connell gym would hold—but we had to create a wait list for interested employers and probably had about 20 more who were interested but contacted us too late to register,” he said.

This year’s job fair included not only employer booths but also a photo booth where visitors could get a professional portrait taken for their LinkedIn accounts. Leading up to the fair, Clark College Career Services also hosted numerous workshops and events, as well as the annual Career Clothing Closet, to prepare students and guests for the day. The fair, which is open not just to Clark students but to all job-seekers in the community, saw 923 visitors this year—up 15 percent from last year’s attendance.

Top photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley. Photos of Nieman and Barnes: Clark College/Hannah Erickson.

Judy Starr, director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Clark College Foundation, center, receives a check from David Reiter, senior vice president and private client manager for Bank of America, and Jessica Hewitt, vice president of Enterprise Business & Community Engagement for Bank of America.

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation recently awarded Clark College a $20,000 grant to support a full-time financial literacy coach at Clark College. The coach works directly with students to help them stabilize their finances and increase the likelihood of students meeting their economic, educational, and career goals.

The grant, delivered to Clark College Foundation, provides ongoing support within Clark College’s Career Services department for students. Assuring that a full-time financial coach remains on staff allows the college to continue providing workshops, classroom presentations, and individual sessions focusing on how to budget, balance a checkbook, set long-term financial goals, and understand credit cards, credit scores and loan repayments.

“The full-time coach has been highly valuable for our students,” said Lisa Gibert, president and CEO of Clark College Foundation. “The coach assisted 64 students in one-on-one sessions over a seven-month period, held 27 different budgeting workshops for scores of other students and conducted specialty workshops for the Veterans Resource Center and the Pathways Center.”

Jamie Madison was one of those students. She was ready to graduate from Clark’s nursing program in 2015 when unforeseen circumstances led her to withdraw. When she was contemplating a return, she was unsure if she had the resources to do so. She met with Clark’s financial literacy coach, Craig Ebersole, who helped her outline her personal finances and discover ways to limit her spending and create a budget.

“I am now confident with my finances and proactively use the resources I have learned about,” said Madison, who returned to Clark to finish her degree. “These resources help me through college and prepare me for my career after graduation.”

Approximately 54 percent of Clark students come from families living below the poverty level, and 60 percent are unemployed or receive public assistance. Moreover, nearly three-quarters of Clark students are the first generation in their families to attend college.

“Bank of America understands that financial fluency and empowerment are key drivers for future financial mobility and success,” said David K. Reiter, senior vice president at U.S. Trust Bank of America Private Wealth Management in Vancouver. “That is why we are proud to support Clark College Foundation on this important decision to retain a financial coach. When individuals feel financially secure and are able to achieve their financial goals, communities are made stronger and we all benefit.”

A budgeting course delivered by the financial literacy coach was added to the College 101: College Essentials course last year. All students working toward an Associate of Arts degree are required to complete the course, which introduces students to campus resources, such as campus navigation, technology, tutoring support, and financial aid.

Text and photo provided by the Clark College Foundation. 

With their low tuition rates and open-door enrollment policies, community colleges have long been a way for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds to pursue higher education and career advancement. However, students experiencing poverty often face challenges that go beyond paying for school. Financial hardship can turn anything from transportation to Internet access into a potential obstacle that could derail a student’s plans.

That’s why Clark College recently hired four new Resource Coaches to help students remain successful and supported all the way through their educational journey. The coaches were hired through a Working Families Success Network grant announced earlier this year, with supplementation from a grant from the Community Foundation of Southwest Washington, and are part of a collegewide effort to improve Clark’s support and understanding of students in poverty.

“We want these coaches to be a resource not just for our students, but for our employees as well,” said Associate Director of Workforce Education Services Armetta Burney. “Our hope is that, when staff or faculty encounter a student who seems to be overwhelmed by poverty-related challenges, they’ll know that they can refer the student to one of our coaches for help.”

According to most-recent data, almost half of Clark’s students are low-income, and almost three-quarters of them are first-generation students. These students may lack stable housing or a quiet place to study. They may have difficulty affording basic school supplies, or child care, or transportation to and from school. Additionally, college can feel very lonely for these students. Because they’re the first to attend college, they may not feel like they can turn to their family or friends for support or advice; meanwhile, they may feel alienated from classmates and faculty who don’t understand the unique challenges they face.

These four new Resource Coaches are meant to change that dynamic. Now, when a student is making the transition from basic education courses to credit-bearing college ones, they’ll have support from a Transitional Studies Coach during the process. When they’re struggling to afford housing or food, the Workforce Education Services Coach can help them apply for public benefits and connect with community organizations. If college becomes overwhelming and their grades begin to slip, the Retention and Career Coach can help them get back on track. And if they find their finances stretched thin, the Financial Literacy Coach can help them set up a budget and figure out strategies to make the most out of their financial resources.

While many of these services have been available at the college in different forms, the coaches add a personal relationship that can help keep at-risk students from slipping through the cracks.

“We almost never talk to a student just once,” explains Transitional Studies Coach Nicole Hopkins. “After we meet with a student, we call them back. And I will call them again and again if I have to: ‘Hey, how are you doing? Are you working on that plan we figured out for you?’ I am happy to walk students across the street to someone’s office if I think they need more help after our meeting.”

Additionally, the Resource Coaches serve as advocates to the rest of the college, sharing their students’ perspectives and working to make Clark a more inclusive environment. They offer workshops to Clark faculty and staff on how to communicate with students experiencing poverty, including one held during the college’s first-ever Teaching and Learning Days in August. The additional grant from the Community Foundation of Southwest Washington funds the Financial Literacy Coach’s work teaching workshops on financial resources and skills to students in order to help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

“We want to help remove the stigma and misperceptions about poverty, both here at Clark and within our broader community,” says Director of Career Services Edie Blakley. “We see it as part of the college’s role as a learning institution.”

Meet the Coaches

Nicole, Transitional Studies Coach

Nicole works with students enrolled in Clark’s Transitional Studies program–which includes English as a Second Language, Adult High School Diploma, and GED Preparation–as they transfer into credit-bearing courses at the college. When students come in to meet her, she helps them assess which resources they have, and which they lack, to succeed at Clark. She discusses their personal and educational goals and helps them identify potential barriers, connecting them to resources that might help diminish those barriers. Often she guides them through options like I-BEST and Learning Communities that could help them enter college successfully. And she helps them with college logistics like testing and registration.

Nicole calls her job “exciting and inspiring,” adding, “each one of us has our own story, and it is my privilege to be a part of someone’s story. I get the opportunity to help students move past the barriers on their journey toward success and the best part is, I get to celebrate with them as they reach each goal.”

Contact: TBG 209; M-F 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; nhopkins@clark.edu

Angelica, Workforce Education Services Coach

Angelica works primarily with students enrolled in Workforce Education programs, which help low-income and unemployed individuals earn vocational/technical degrees and certificates. She helps guide these students through college processes, from applying for financial aid to setting up their student email. With years of experience working with people experiencing poverty, she can help connect students to support services both inside and outside the college so they can focus on their education.

“My position excites me because I am able to provide information to students about resources that they may not have been aware of,” Angelica says. “I love to see students grow and develop into professionals as they complete their degrees at Clark. I have been able to build lasting relationships with students that go beyond degree attainment.”

Contact: GHL 128; T 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., W 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Th 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.; WESCoach@clark.edu

Craig, Financial Literacy Coach

Attending college brings with it a whole slew of financial challenges. For a person who’s used to living paycheck to paycheck, receiving a quarter’s worth of financial aid at one time can be difficult to manage. Books, fees, and equipment can cost hundreds of dollars. Craig’s job is to help students manage their budgets and avoid common pitfalls. He helps them check their credit scores and shop for the best bank or credit card to fit their needs. He works with them to develop plans to work through any debt or financial challenges they currently have, as well as long-term plans to help them create a solid financial foundation from which to build. Additionally, Craig regularly holds workshops on financial literacy through the Career Center and the Library.

“I enjoy helping students understand how to make money work for them, thereby bringing them closer to attaining their dreams,” he says.

Contact: PUB 002; M-F 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; cebersole@clark.edu

Alex, Retention & Career Coach

Most students come to Alex for one of two reasons: Either they’re not sure where they want to go, or they’ve hit a stumbling block on the road to get there. Alex helps students explore careers and academic fields that fit their skills and interests, and then create a plan to reach their chosen goal. Additionally, she helps students whose grades have triggered an Academic Early Warning, helping them take the steps they need to get their grades back on track without jeopardizing their financial aid. She takes a holistic look at their lives, helping connect them with services that can help them with not just their academic challenges but their personal ones as well.

“I think being a former Clark student myself helps me understand what these students are going through,” says Alex, who earned her associate degree in 2009 before transferring to Portland State University for her bachelor’s. “What excites me about this position is the opportunity to support students in accessing and using relevant campus and community resources, help prioritize their success and set strong, personalized goals, and ultimately tie these skills to their future career goals.”

Contact: HSC 124; T & W 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Th 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.; amartin@clark.edu

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Attendees meet potential employers at the 2014 Career Days job fair.

Clark College’s Career Days is entering its fifth year with its largest-ever number of employers participating in two separate job fairs, as well as many new events designed to help today’s job-seekers. The three-day event will be held April 27-29 at the college’s main campus.

The annual event includes seminars, skills sessions, clinics, speaker panels, and other events designed to assist students and community members in their job search efforts and to prepare students in transferring to a bachelor’s degree. All events are free and open to the public.

Schedule highlights (full schedule available here):

Monday, April 27

• Presentation: “LinkedIn & the Online Job Search”
• Speakers panel: “Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math”
• Career assessment workshop

Tuesday, April 28

• Drop-in resume and LinkedIn Clinic
• Employer panel: “Succeeding at Your Job”

Wednesday, April 29

• Job Fair with representative from 61 employers
• Separate Health Careers Job Fair with representatives from 20 employers
• Photo booth for a free professional headshot for attendees’ LinkedIn profiles
• “Borrow an Expert” event in which successful Clark College alumni can be reserved for 15-minute conversations about jobs in their respective fields.

“Clark College takes great pride in its role as a promoter of economic vitality in our region,” said Clark College Career Services Director Edie Blakley. “Eleven of the 12 Career Days 2015 events bring employers and professionals from outside the college to connect with our students and community members. This provides immediate opportunities for jobs, skill development, networking, and getting information that can help our graduates put their degrees to work.”

All events are free to students and members of the community. No registration is required. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

Complete information about the event – including times and locations of the various events – is available at www.clark.edu/cc/careerdays or by calling 360-992-2902.

Information about Clark College Career Services is available at www.clark.edu/cc/careerservices.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Clark College has received a major grant toward the college’s efforts to help low-income students complete their education. Work is already underway on the three-year Working Families Success Network (WFSN) grant, which provides $100,000 per year to hire staff and equip them to work with students.

WFSN is a program of Achieving the Dream, a partnership of seven nonprofit organizations that has grown to become the largest non-governmental reform movement working in higher education today. Achieving the Dream works at 200 higher education institutions in 34 states and the District of Columbia helping nearly 4 million college students realize greater economic opportunity.

Through the WFSN grant, Clark College will have an opportunity to provide more support to students in the areas of financial literacy, career services and gaining access to public benefits. “One of our goals is to remove the stigma and mystery surrounding some of the public benefits that students may be eligible for,” Armetta Burney, Associate Director of Workforce Education Services, said. She explained that the grant allows the college to hire four part-time coaches to work one-on-one with students, helping them to access resources and manage their finances as they reach for their educational goals.

“We also have an effort underway to help faculty and staff understand how to direct and encourage low-income students,” Burney added. “This is a large issue for the college as a whole, as 47 percent of Clark College students are classified as low-income.” Burney added that there are many ways for faculty and staff to encourage students, but one of the easiest is to share the website www.washingtonconnection.org, which helps students quickly and easily determine their eligibility for public benefits.

The grant parameters state a goal of reaching 25 percent of low-income students with both high- and low-touch services by the end of the three-year grant. High-touch services include one-on-one interactions like financial coaching, career coaching, or assistance with access to public benefits. Low-touch services include workshops, classes and general information on resources and services provided by the college.

“We know that far too many of our students are just one financial crisis away from dropping out of school, and that once they drop out it can be incredibly difficult for them to return,” said Edie Blakley, Director of Career Services. “With this grant, Clark College will be able to help more of these students weave a safety net for themselves that can allow them to stay focused on their long-term goals and create a plan for their financial wellness during and after college”

Clark staff members help sort ties during the 2013 Career Clothing Closet, an annual event that provides Clark students with free professional attire.

Clark College Career Services is seeking clothing and cash donations for its 11th Annual Career Clothing Closet, which provides professional and/or interview clothing to Clark College students at no cost.

The Closet will be held April 23 and 24 in advance of Clark College Career Days, the college’s annual career fair that precedes spring graduation.

While students have access to lots of career-preparation support while at Clark—from resume clinics to industry-specific certification programs—many lack the resources to purchase new outfits appropriate to their chosen careers as they prepare to enter the job market after graduation. As Career Services Director Edie Blakley explains, “The Career Clothing Closet helps our students put their best selves forward in an interview or as they begin their careers. Beginning a new career can be scary, and the right clothing can help students feel confident.”

The Closet is accepting new or gently used professional, workplace-appropriate clothing for both men and women. New this year, the Closet is also accepting industry-specific clothing (including scrubs, steel-toed work boots, baking uniforms, welding and construction-specific clothing) as well as cash donations. All clothing donations should be in excellent condition, laundered or dry-cleaned prior to donation. Undergarments and torn or stained clothing will not be accepted. Cash donations will be used to purchase clothing in underrepresented sizes.

Donations may be dropped off by April 10 at Clark College Career Services, located in room PUB 002 on ground level of the Penguin Union Building, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver WA 98663. Hours of operation: Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. All donations are tax deductible; receipts will be provided. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Questions may be directed to Sharon Orr at or sorr@clark.edu.

While donations will be accepted through April 10, organizers are hoping to motivate donors to give now. “We know that this is a time of year when many people are getting new clothes for the holidays and purging their closets, and also when people are looking for end-of-the-year tax deductions,” explains Blakley. “Also, the more donations we gather, the more students we can help, so collecting for the Career Clothing Closet really is a year-round process for us.”

Last year, the Closet provided professional clothing to more than 200 Clark students.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Almost 800 people attended the 2014 Career Days job fair, which hosted representatives from 50 different employers.

The numbers are in from this year’s Career Days, and they show what many at the college and in the community already knew: Clark College’s week-long program for job-hunters is growing stronger every year. This year, more than 1000 job-seekers attended one or more Career Days events, which included workshops, clinics, job and transfer fairs, panel discussions, and expert presentations.

As always, events began before the official April 21 – 24 run of Career Days with the opening of the Career Clothing Closet the Thursday and Friday of the week before. This year, more than 200 students received free interview outfits of gently worn professional clothing donated by members of the community.

Officially, however, Career Days kicked off on Monday, April 21, with an employer panel featuring representative from Adidas, The Boeing Company, and Madden Industrial. The Ellis Dunn Community Room in Gaiser Hall was filled with students and guests ready for tips on what these employers were looking for. One key need: skilled technicians in fields like machining, welding, and carpentry. “There’s a shortage here in the Portland area,” said Randy Shelton of Madden Industrial.

Visitors at the 2014 Career Days job fair had a chance to speak directly with representatives from employers in the region.

Michael Lushenko of Boeing agreed. “There’s a shortage of people who know how to make parts,” he said. “Our engineers tend to have at least a bachelor’s degree, but machining is an area where we are happy to look at people with two-year degrees.”

Lushenko cautioned that the job market has become more competitive recently, in part because of the increasing popularity of the Pacific Northwest as a place where people from other parts of the country would like to move. “I’ve been hiring for 15 years,” he said. “It used to be a I got a lot of local residents applying. Now I’m getting a lot of applicants from the East Coast and the South.”

Fortunately, Career Days offered local job-hunters many opportunities to gain an edge over other competitors. One popular presenter was Bobby Castaneda, director of business development at the Vancouver-based ACS Professional Staffing. “He was a participant on our employer panel last year,” said Career Services Program Specialist Sarah Weinberger, who chaired the Career Days committee. “Attendees enjoyed his role on the panel, so we brought him back this year to present his own workshop.”

Attendees also flocked to hear Joshua Waldman, author of Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies. The biggest draw of the program, however, remained the job fair, held April 23. Nearly 800 job-seekers attended the event, which for the second year in a row was at full capacity with 50 employers represented; employers included Boeing, Columbia Machine, C-Tran, EarthLink, and Evergreen School District 112. The fair also included a photo booth where job-hunters could get a professional photo taken to use on their LinkedIn profiles. This feature was back for the second year in a row, as was the Penguin Passport, an incentive for visitors to attend multiple events. Passport prizes this year included an iPad Mini, a Fit Bit Flex, free pizza for a year from Papa Murphy’s, and gift baskets from local companies.

Vancouver resident Patti James stands in the Career Center after receiving advice on her resume during Career Days 2014.

The program also included a drop-in resume clinic, during which job-seekers could have their resumes reviewed by trained human-resources professionals. Anne-Marie Rupert, a human resources professional who is currently a stay-at-home mother, was one volunteer reviewing resumes at the clinic. She said one of the key mistakes many job-seekers made was not understanding how much experience they actually have.

“What I’ve realized is that their resumes are brief, but what they’ve actually accomplished is impressive,” she said. “So helping them to get their accomplishments on paper has been the key thing I’ve been doing.”

Patti James, a Certified Nursing Assistant who was looking to change careers, said she came to Career Days specifically for help with her resume. “I haven’t done a resume for so long,” said the mother of five. “I was in my last job for 19 years.”

James said she had a completely new resume after speaking with Rupert. “She actually helped me to create a resume with the right keywords,” she said. “I didn’t realize you could create a resume that talked exactly about the skills an employer was looking for. And she made me realize I had more experience than I thought.”

While the majority of Career Days attendees are Clark College students, the college hosts the program as a service for anyone in the community who could use help in finding a job. James, who lives in Vancouver, is not a student; she saw an ad for the event on Craigslist and decided to visit.

“I think it’s wonderful that they have this event for all of us who are looking for work,” she said. “I was scared they’d throw me out when I said I wasn’t a student. I said, ‘I’m nobody, can I still be here?’

“Instead they just laughed and said, ‘You’re somebody! Come on in!'”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Clark College hosts numerous job fairs at its main campus each year, all of them open to the public.

Clark College hosts its second annual Summer Job and Internship Fair from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, in the Gaiser Student Center. The event is designed to help job-seekers find summer internship and employment opportunities with Portland- and Vancouver-area employers.

New this year, the college is partnering with the Vancouver Housing Authority (VHA) to co-sponsor the fair. According to VHA Community Involvement and Employment Manager Bridgette Farnbulleh, the VHA has organized its own summer job fair for the past two years, but was eager to join forces with the Clark College.

Clark College’s job fairs draw dozens of employers and hundreds of job-seekers.

“We wanted to connect with Clark College because of the educational aspect,” Farnbulleh said. “We wanted our youth to be on a college campus, and to understand that the kind of job you get is closely connected to the education you get. We’re trying to break the cycle, to make sure that just because they may have grown up in poverty doesn’t mean they have to live in second-generation poverty themselves.”

“I’m looking forward to this year’s job fair,” said Sarah Weinberger, Employer Relations and Job Developer at Clark College. “We have already doubled the number of registered employers from last year, and the collaboration with the VHA will make our event even stronger. Previously, the Summer Job and Internship Fair was held in May, but many employers had already hired for a June start date by that point. We are now holding the event in March because it’s when students need to start planning for summer employment.”

Positions offered at the fair may be full-time, part-time and in the case of internships, they may be paid or unpaid. There will also be a mock interview room set up to help job seekers prepare for real-life interviews.

The Summer Job & Internship Fair is sponsored by Clark College Career Services and the Vancouver Housing Authority. The event’s Gold Level sponsor is LaborWorks. Some of the employers who will be at the event are Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Washington, Entercom Portland, Firestone Pacific Foods, LOWE’S, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Trackers Earth, and YWCA Clark County. There are over 30 registered employers currently, with room for more. The event is open to any company or organization offering internships or summer employment, but space is limited so interested employers should act quickly to register.

A list of participating employers is available on the Career Center’s Pinterest page.

The event  is free and open to the public. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, Wash. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

If you need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, you should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP), or visit Gaiser Hall room 137, as soon as possible.

Elizabeth Christopher contributed to this article.

Photos: Clark College archives/Jenny Shadley