Students from Liberty University’s wide-ranging ministry programs spent Tuesday establishing potential career-starting connections with organizations during this semester’s Ministry Career Fair held at the LaHaye Recreation and Fitness Center.
The fair was facilitated by Liberty’s Career Services office and is one of the largest career fairs held every year. Over 1,200 students attended, and 136 organizations were represented. Students explored opportunities for internships, residencies, and jobs ranging from working with small churches in-state to traveling to unreached countries.
The event was open to seniors and graduate students from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., then to all students from 1-4 p.m.
“Everyone was so kind, and the organizations were genuinely interested in me, even though I was just one person out of hundreds who visited,” said Rachel Alvis, a junior studying English and writing with a minor in graphic design. “A lot of ministries were interested in my English and graphic design focuses, they mentioned how useful editing and design skills were in the ministry context.”
Career Services has reenvisioned its career fair model to be industry-based, not just major- or school-specific. Whether students are traditional ministry majors or pursuing a degree in another academic program, Career Services encourages students to attend multiple career fairs each semester because they may find the type of job opportunity they’re looking for in multiple industries.
“It was encouraging to get to talk to so many people who want to seek out opportunities to serve the Lord,” said Hannah Whitehair, a recruiter for English Language Institute China. “I could just see the joy of the Lord through each student I talked to, and seeing their passion to be Champions for Christ is a reason we do recruiting here.”
Career Services staff maintain that students who attend career fairs as early as possible often see the benefits in enhanced opportunities, relationships, and personal communication skills, with each fair becoming more impactful as students grow in confidence and experience.
“Overall, I’m leaving the fair feeling inspired,” Alvis said. “I feel like I have gifts that I could offer to help the body of Christ, both locally and universally.”
The next Career Services fair, to be held virtually on the career-building platform Handshake, is scheduled for Nov. 11. View the full events schedule on the Career Services website.
