Students looking to meet and network with school district representatives in search of a job attended the spring 2020 Teacher Education Career Fair on Monday, which was hosted by the College of Human Sciences.

There were more than 70 employers in attendance from school districts such as Norwalk Community School District and Mason City Community School District. Employers had booths set up supplied with flyers and brochures for students to take and get more information on available positions.

According to the College of Human Sciences’ website, meeting face-to-face with future employers sets you apart from the other applicants.

Students in attendance had various majors and specializations, but many were looking for networking opportunities to become teachers in their specialization.

Even if the students weren’t currently seeking employment, the career fair could be a chance to get their name to the school district representatives for potential future jobs or internships.

Many students were armed with their resumes and dressed in business attire. Some were smiling and conversing with potential employers, while some seemed intimidated, standing off to the side to prepare talking points for when they would gather up the courage to talk to a professional.

Chase Hough, freshman in elementary education, is looking for a job teaching second graders while being able to use his coaching endorsement in a high school setting. He is taking classes to learn how to become a successful coach in either football or basketball, in addition to teaching in an elementary school.

“I’d like to stay in Iowa,” Hough said. “It’s always been my dream to be a football coach and an elementary teacher.”

Jessica Hawk, sophomore in elementary education, said she would like to teach special education in an elementary school setting.

“I coach gymnastics, so that’s [with] younger kids. I helped at a daycare with younger kids, so I’m just kind of geared more towards younger kids,” Hawk said. “[I hope] to see what districts have different [job] offers.”

Kelly Olsen, senior in music, specializes in the violin. She isn’t sure exactly what she wants to do between going to graduate school or being an orchestra teacher.

“I’m here to just kind of testing the waters and looking around, seeing what jobs are available,” Olsen said. “I don’t have much experience talking to professionals in the education field, and I just want more practice.”

Hannah Johnson is a freshman in family and consumer science education and studies.

Johnson said she would like to be a middle school family and consumer sciences teacher. Monday’s career fair was her first time attending one.

“[The career fair] was actually part of one of our class assignments for Education 219, but I think it’s a really good assignment in that we can get our feet wet and understand how this whole thing works before the pressure is on,” Johnson said. “Today, I think I would like to just feel out how it works.”

Iowa State’s School of Education works to prepare students to work in school settings such as elementary, middle and high school.

More information about the school, including degrees and programs for undergraduate and graduate education students, can be found on their website. The website can also be a place to explore more detailed information about those degrees and programs for students.