Fifty three employers and hundreds of students crowded the gym of the WTAMU First United Bank Center on March 12 for an Educators Expo.

The exposition was a chance for Education students to see and talk to potential employers who were seeking new graduates for possible job opportunities.

“I came to the expo to find any job openings…and what kind of different programs every district carries,” senior Bilingual Education major Mary Jane said.

Assistant Director of Career Services Kim Muller said a separate education fair is required for Education students despite the general job fair WT hosts every year.

“At the general fair, if you’re an [agriculture] major or an accounting major… there are lots of common businesses that will be interested,” Muller said. “Because the employers who employ educators are such a targeted group, it just made sense to do a separate event.”Employers from South Texas to Central Kansas set up tables to entice education students to seek their school district for employment. Others offered educational work outside the traditional school environment.

“I love coming to this expo to try to find teachers that want to teach summer camps at the Discovery Center during the summer,” Mandi Reid, director of visitor experience at the Don Harrington Discovery Center, said.

Reid typically hires recent or soon-to-be graduates who are hunting for jobs opportunities for the next school year. Such was the case for Bilingual Studies major Victoria Arambula, who is set to graduate this May.

“I am trying to decide if I want to stay in this area or relocate,” Arambula said. “[The expo] gave me more information about what’s offered here and what’s offered in other districts.”

Although the occasional interview is possible for students to obtain at the job fair, Mueller said most students just come to gather information and pass along their resumes.

“There are 53 school districts and [students] can spend two hours and talk to 53 potential employers,” Muller said. “If you wanted to do that on your own time, I can’t even imagine. I mean from Brian, Texas to Kansas and then from Sherman over to Lubbock into New Mexico, the geographic range is huge.”