Over 2,600 students attend Career Showcase

Kevin Kimbrough strutted around the Stephen O’ Connell Center armed with a bagel and a giant fake resume on a poster Tuesday afternoon.

Kimbrough, a 23-year-old UF computer science engineering senior, introduced himself to students and employers as “Harold Holder” holding his resume that listed accomplishments like being the Hare Krishna Scholarship Recipient. 

Kimbrough said he wanted to make Career Showcase less intense. 

“We don’t want to impede,” Kimbrough said. “But we want to make people smile.”

More than 360 employers and 2,659 students came to the arena from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the first day of the semi-annual career fair, Career Connections Center spokesperson Dana McPherson wrote in an email.

More than 6,000 students are expected to attend the  two days of the showcase: a non-technical day Tuesday and technical day Wednesday, said Ja’Net Glover, the senior director for career services.

Ryan Kealy, a UF alumnus and recruiter for Alight Solutions, a human resources firm, connected students with the same company he met during the showcase two years ago.

“It’s really cool to come back and see, as a former UF student, all the booths again and get the other side of it,” Kealy said.

Gabriela Garcia, a 22-year-old international business graduate student, attended her third showcase to secure a job after she graduates in May.  

“The worst experiences led to my best ones because I know how to better prepare for them,” she said. 

Kevin Kimbrough, a 23-year-old computer science engineering sixth year, played the character of “Harold Holder” to cheer up students and employers at Career Showcase.