Students explore opportunities at Price career fair


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Recruiters answered students’ questions about career development and offered employment and internship opportunities at the career fair. (Melissa Grimaldo | Daily Trojan)

Students, alumni and recruiters gathered at Lewis Hall Thursday for the Price School of Public Policy’s annual career fair. The event, organized by the Price Office of Career Services, aims to connect students to the Trojan Network and empower them through the process of finding a career that suits their interests. 

More than 15 employers — ranging from city management departments, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Los Angeles Police Department, the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation — set up booths at the event, fielding student questions and promoting openings at their respective departments. 

Elana Buegoff, pier administrator at the Economic Development Division in the City of Santa Monica, said she was excited to help students with their questions about career development and growth. 

“I got my start in local government through an internship, and I wanted to make opportunities available for USC students to also explore a career in local government,” Buegoff said. 

Elana said her passion also stems from being a Price alum, having received her master’s degrees in public administration and urban planning at the school in 1997. 

Patricia Ayestas, recruitment support specialist for the Secret Service, said she has been attending the career fair the past 10 years and USC students are regularly hired. The agency is currently recruiting college students and graduates for their Special Agent Talent & Achievement Recruitment program. 

Dominic Alletto, associate director of employer relations for the Price Office of Career Services, said that, like “any in-person event,” the fair would have a “large impact on helping students gain employment and internship opportunities.”

“We’re happy to broker those opportunities between our students and employer partners,” Alletto said. “We also had plenty of alumni here, so it’s great for them to come back, connect with current students and help bring them into their organizations.”

Deryck Avya Maioli, a graduate student studying public administration, said the event was a meaningful opportunity for students to connect with Trojan alumni.

“First of all, the Career Services staff is wonderful,” Maioli said. “They’re staffed with people who really care, who want to help all students, whether they’re in their first year or whether they’re just graduating.”

A virtual fair will take place April 6.