Bringing Businesses to Bauer

Nearly 2,000 students from the C. T. Bauer College of Business arrived suited up and ready to network with employers including Amazon, Eli Lilly, JP Morgan Chase, NASA and ExxonMobil at this semester's on-campus Business Career Fair.

Organized by Bauer's Rockwell Career Center (RCC), the event also included recruiters from H-E-B, ConocoPhillips, Baker Hughes, Phillips 66, Chevron and Dell Technologies. Students were eager to connect with employers, with a 15 percent increase in sophomore attendance over last year's fair and over 900 students pre-registering to "skip the line" before the event.

Held biannually, the popular fair encapsulates the wide array of student ambition at the heart of the college. From freshmen with dreams of being a part of NFL nights, to seniors ready to take on Houston's oil and gas dynasty, each student in attendance brought their own career dreams with them.

After weeks of preparation, students from each business discipline met face-to-face with recruiters, ready to make their dreams a reality, one handshake at a time.

Accounting

Accounting junior Gabriel Avellaneda came to the Business Career Fair to talk to some firms, get some names and walk out with an internship.

Avellaneda pre-registered and leveraged information available on Bauer Career Gateway to create a game plan before the big day, researching the companies he planned to meet and developing questions that would help him stand out.

"Most importantly, I tell myself that no matter what happens, it's going to be alright," Avellandeda said. "No matter what happens, I know I tried my best."

Entrepreneurship

With a family legacy of employment in the oil & gas industry, entrepreneurship senior Erik Pantoja came to the event prepared to meet with companies including Phillips 66, ConocoPhillips and SLB.

“As a first-generation student, it's important for me to break barriers,” Pantoja said. “I want to prove not only to myself, but to my family and everyone else that I can get an opportunity with a big company.”

RCC staff have been instrumental in helping him to build his confidence and preparation skills in his job search.

“Entrepreneurship boils down into the actual bolts of business,” he said. “I see not only what companies offer, but what can I bring to the table. I’m thinking about what I can do to better the business overall as a corporate employee and an entrepreneur.”

Finance

Finance freshman Mateo Hernandez hit the ground running on his professional development journey, attending several RCC events in his first semester of college, including Bauer Career Launch.

“The Rockwell Career Center reviewed my résumé and gave me tips on how to present myself,” Hernandez said. “My goal at the career fair is to get my name and face out there to recruiters.”

Additionally, Hernandez identified companies that interested him ahead of time, specifically smaller financial groups.

“I went to their websites and looked at any projects and events that they've done in the past year,” he said. “I connected my skill set to their experiences to see how I can support their needs.”

Management Information Systems

Management information systems senior Noor Shounaki has loyally attended the Business Career Fair at least once every year. The early check-in RCC offers for students to get their wristbands ahead of time helped take a lot of the pressure off, especially with it being her last semester.

Over the years, Shounaki has discovered some of the best ways to stand out among recruiters.

"Apply to the jobs you want before coming to career fair," she said. "It helps the conversation flow, and it shows employers that you know what you want."

Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management senior Janna Eldakhakhni has continuously worked on improving herself professionally since she was a freshman in “Connecting Bauer to Business” (BUSI 3302).

After the Spring 2026 Business Career Fair, Eldakhakhni landed an internship at Air Liquide. This fall, she’s back again to connect with oil and gas companies in hopes of securing a full-time job.

“The Rockwell Career Center has helped a lot, especially with the Résumé Kickoff event,” she said. “Having recruiters take a look at my résumé and give me advice has been worthwhile.”

Marketing

In her first semester, marketing freshman Savanna Vang said she has already found the Bauer community to be kind and helpful.

In the weeks leading up to career fair, Vang connected with mentors in the Emerging Leaders Academic Program who helped her and her peers to create their personal brand that would help them stand out among recruiters. Additionally, they gave her guidance on how to format her résumé.

While only in her first year of college, Vang believes it’s never too early for students to take action toward their goals.

“The top company I'm interested in is the Houston Texans,” she said. “I’m currently interning with UH Athletics for the football team, and I want to use my degree to go into sports marketing.”

Management & Leadership

When management junior Erick Zelaya transferred to Bauer in the fall, he eagerly began preparing for his first Business Career Fair.

He made sure his résumé was spotless through the help of his older brother and took advantage of RCC resources like the Bauer Career Gateway to do his homework on companies before the main event.

With more than a hundred recruiters present, his goal was to talk to at least five, with the hopes of finding an internship or job offer.

"I researched the employers that would be there to brush up on my general knowledge," Zelaya said. "It's important to me to find a career that fits my major."

Zelaya has applied his management knowledge to start up two businesses of his own. He is the co-owner of Mario’s Meal and founder of EZ Detailing. He leverages his education to effectively communicate their brand to clients across the Greater Houston area.

Graduate & Professional Programs

MS Business Analytics candidate Falguni Ved prepared for her first Business Career Fair by joining the International Student Roundtable (ISR). ISR is a resource available through RCC to assist international students while they develop their careers.

"The roundtable sessions helped us learn more about the recruiting process,” Ved said. "They informed us on what international companies would be there and the booths we should go to."

She did additional research on the organizations she was interested in, looked at their offerings and found the ones that best fit her needs. She walked into career fair with the hopes of landing an internship or full-time job in supply chain and procurement analytics.

She is expanding her academic and industry network by serving as an Instructional Assistant for the Bauer Executive Doctorate in Business Administration program.