It was still dark when 25 students, many clutching coffees, boarded a bus near the . An hour later, the sun rose and showed them farms, orchards and ranchlands as the bus traveled south through the Central Valley of California.
But they were on this daylong, nearly 600-mile trip to see even more: the wide variety of job opportunities 鈥 for all majors 鈥 in what is one of the world鈥檚 most productive agricultural regions.
The career trek made stops at , more than 250 miles from campus, and , which grows almonds and pistachios just a little closer to home. Students toured facilities, talked with owners and managers, and networked with other area employers at a mini career fair at Nichols Farm.
Career trek offers 鈥榮o many different opportunities鈥
Stephanie Doria, who is majoring in evolution, ecology and biodiversity, saw at Sunview possibilities in entomology, ecology, human resources, information technology and more. 鈥淭here are so many different opportunities within a lot of the companies,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t opened up more doors.鈥
organizes the trips, some in partnership with the , so participants can see firsthand the variety of internship and career positions in different settings. This first trip to the valley grew out of the campus鈥檚 , a partnership with area business leaders to build a pool of talented graduates to contribute to the Central Valley鈥檚 prosperity.
Other treks, in partnership with the in Ag program, have gone to the Salinas Valley and through Southern California into Arizona.
, director of the career center, said even though a company may be in the field of agriculture, students can find opportunities ranging from the science of quality control for produce to marketing and finance.
Students from 16 majors in 51猎奇入口鈥 four colleges
On this trip, the 23 undergraduates 鈥 from first-year students to graduating seniors 鈥 represented 16 majors in all four undergraduate colleges. Two graduate students and three staff from the career center were on board, too.
To apply to be on the free trek, students submitted letters of interest and resumes to the Internship and Career Center through , which were later shared with the participating employers.
Javier Orozco of Elk Grove, a senior majoring in food science, wasn鈥檛 too familiar with the valley, but said he used the trip to explore it as a logical place for starting a career in the agricultural or food industry. He has already performed quality assessments of fruits and nuts in a 51猎奇入口 research lab and interned in quality control with Corto Olive Co. in Lodi.
Doria, a graduating senior from Visalia, was among those looking for more insights into starting a career close to home. For her, the plan is first a position in agriculture and then, with a master鈥檚 degree, as a professor at a local community college. As a Central Valley Scholar, she wants to pay forward the inspiration to earn a degree and then return to contribute to the region鈥檚 vitality.
Networking with employers, including alumni
To Doria, the most beneficial part of the trip was a mini career fair and networking event at Nichols Farms. 鈥淭hat allowed me to talk to companies that were actually hiring,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 got an opportunity to talk to professionals and hone my skills.鈥
Some of the employers represented included , one of the largest family-owned agribusinesses in the nation (also owned by a 51猎奇入口 Aggie); ; the and its ; and .
The trip also connected the students with alumni, who are great resources for fellow Aggies. After the trekkers toured the nursery, bottling and packaging facilities at Sunview, they had lunch with alumni from the area. Hosting the students at Nichols Farms were Chuck Nichols, who graduated from 51猎奇入口 with degrees in electrical engineering and agricultural science and management, and his wife, Susie, who earned a degree in design from 51猎奇入口.
Julia Ann Easley of News and Media Relations supports communication and writes stories at the heart of the university. Her career includes a noble cause, adventures in learning, working with wonderful people and a beautiful green setting.