Senior Candace House took time away from her studies as a Business of Cinematic Arts major to co-found the Black Career Fair last year. She says the goal of the fair is to make the job search more accessible for Black students at USC.
Candace House: We really need a space for Black students to get to meet Black recruiters, as opposed to going to the everyday fairs and only getting to meet recruiters for a second. And they can actually get to learn what’s it like being Black at a certain company, and possibly, hopefully get a job and a mentor.
The other co-founder of the fair, Ire Omitowoju, is a senior majoring in Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation. She adds that the goal of the fair is to create genuine connections with companies and make the recruitment process less daunting.
Ire Omitowoju: Being at a predominantly white institution, regular career fairs can be very scary. Black students can feel really lost in the crowd, and so being able to create a space where they’re seen, they’re valued and people are coming to see them, I think was just super important to us.
Last year, the Black Career Fair hosted 17 companies. This year, House says, it has grown to 25 companies, with recruiters from more varied kinds of jobs.
House: I feel like this event wouldn’t have needed to be created if we had more representation in the career events that exist at USC. We’re not a monolith. We have so many different interests.
Events like the Black Career Fair help students to be their genuine selves in professional environments, says gerontology student Jordan Roberson.
Jordyn Roberson: I think it’s difficult for some black people to navigate the workspace because they feel like they can’t be their authentic selves or they have to put on, you know, a different type of demeanor to see, seem digestible to people. So I. I also see myself just changing the workforce and providing more ideas and, diversity and just bringing creative thoughts to that space.
Although the co-founders of USC’s Black Career Fair will graduate this semester, they hope to leave a legacy. House wants to inspire other students to grow the Black Career Fair even bigger at USC and beyond.
Candace House: Definitely in general we need to see more people of color and hopefully Black people in general. And I think once people get up to the top, they can start bringing people up the ladder themselves. And I feel like that’s why this event is so important, because people can learn about the struggles that representatives have faced in the workforce and be able to learn how to navigate those spaces themselves.
Omitowoju acknowledges that USC provides resources for Black students like the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs, but said there is still room for improvement.
Omitowoju: We think that the universities should just continue to provide resources, put in money, put in support into these entities that already exist on campus, allowing us to just grow stronger, grow even bigger, and again, allow our students to continue to feel seen.
You have until 9 pm tonight to feel seen at USC’s Black Career Fair. For Annenberg Media, I’m Alia Noll.