On Tuesday, Feb. 5, the Saint Louis Room of the Busch Memorial Center was flooded with volunteers as the Saint Louis University School of Social Service held its annual career and practicum fair.
The fair, which the School of Social Service co-sponsors with its alumni association and Career Services, took place from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
It was designed to help undergraduate and graduate students from the School of Social Service or other students interested in social-work-related fields to find full- or part-time employment, as well as practicum and volunteer opportunities.
There were 99 organizations at the fair, including hospitals, schools and social service agencies. While there were some organizations from Illinois, the majority of them are located in the St. Louis metro area.
The event was well-attended, with more than 120 students signed in before 4:30 p.m.
“This has been a great opportunity to find out about agencies in the area,” said Annie Philipps, a senior majoring in social work. Philipps attended the fair because she is seeking a full-time job after her graduation in May.
“There is a really wide variety of organizations here,” Phillips continued.
Senior Shannon Stinebaugh, also in social work, was at the fair to find an internship before heading to law school in the fall. She was also pleased with the opportunities at the event. “Right away there were seven or eight agencies I was interested in,” Stinebaugh said.
Marla Berg-Weger, a professor in the social work department, explained that many students were at the fair to find practicum opportunities. “Our undergraduates are required to do 480 hours of practicum work . graduate students complete near 1,000 hours,” Berg-Weger said.
Junior Elizabeth Lucier explained that practica are generally unpaid, hands-on experiences where the students will typically do some kind of case work under the supervision of an experienced social worker.
“This event was really well organized. It has been helpful to get to know the agencies for [practicum opportunities], and the agencies are very interested in getting to know students,” Lucier said.
