FULLERTON, Calif. - The Cal State Fullerton Athletics Department will host the inaugural Fullerton Athletics Career Expo (FACE) on Monday, April 13. The expo will take place in Titan Gym from 6-8 p.m.
FACE, supported by Athletic Director Jim Donovan, will be an opportunity for student-athletes at Cal State Fullerton to network and engage personally with prospective employers and help prepare for life after their time at Cal State Fullerton.
”We want our student athletes to have jobs lined up when they leave Cal State Fullerton or at least have their sights set on a specific career path," said Life Skills Coordinator and FACE organizer Pam Newton. "We want to build relationships with these employers so that businesses can see the great potential Titan athletes have. We intend to continue networking with companies to show them why Titan athletes are worthy prospective recruits for their business."
Nearly 50 companies will be present at FACE including Federated Insurance, NorthWestern Mutual, Buckeye International, EM Speed, LLC and Sungevity. Other businesses in attendance will include Target, ADP, Pepsi, Enterprise, the Orange County Fire Authority and a host of police agencies.
Along with businesses, student-athletes will have an opportunity to seek counsel on furthering their education while at Cal State Fullerton.
"Not only is this expo for employers, but we have taken it a step further," Newton said. "We felt that, to give the athletes a well-rounded experience we would invite four of the most popular colleges amongst our athletes. These colleges will come to our career fair to provide information about undergrad and graduate programs. We intend to prepare our athletes for possible opportunities that are available on and off campus."
Former Cal State Fullerton student-athletes will also be in attendance at FACE with their businesses including former men's basketball player Jordan Knox representing his company Crux and former women's basketball player Lyndsey Grove representing her company, 511 tactical.
"We have asked alumni to attend and share how they navigated their journey into the professional world," Newton said. "It is quite insightful for our student athletes to speak with alumni about their experiences, that interaction, can shed light on decisions student athletes will need to make."
FACE will be open to all student-athletes, freshmen through seniors.
"The ‘FACE Team,’ which includes Athletic Academic Service Counselors and Interns felt that including freshmen and sophomores was an important process of securing internship opportunities and networking," Newton said. "The ultimate goal is to hold this career expo annually to help prepare Fullerton's student-athletes for life after college.