Galveston Campus Hosts Record-Breaking Career Fair    

On March 28, the Office of Counseling, Career & Ability Services at Texas A&M University at Galveston hosted the Spring Career Fair, welcoming a record-breaking 123 employers to campus. The event filled the second floor of the Aggie Special Events Center, the largest event space on campus, with employers eager to work with students and graduates from A&M-Galveston. The career fair, held each semester, gives students the opportunity to talk with companies, universities and local, state and federal agencies of all industries.

"Texas A&M has a tried-and-true program," said Cid Arceneaux, recruiting manager for Hornbeck Offshore, a marine transportation service. "We’ve been here every fall and every spring for well over a decade, and we keep coming back because of our positive experience with Aggies. It's a fantastic school for both deck and engine cadets. We have dozens of alumni that came to us as cadets that are now masters and chief engineers."

Elliott Crist '07 echoed Arceneaux's sentiments about Aggie employees. A former student himself, Crist is now the general manager of Galveston and Freeport for Ports America, a terminal operating and stevedoring company, and says that many of his team members graduated from the campus.

"Aggies have skill sets that are harder to find," said Crist. "My coworkers from this campus are flexible and easy to work with, and they have the knowledge and ambition to get out there and do what they need to do. The reputation of the former students that have come before us have definitely created a legacy of hard work for us to live up to at Ports America."

During the event, Mark Waller, owner and founder of Proceanic, presented a contribution to the Texas A&M Foundation for the Proceanic Endowed Engineering Scholarship on behalf of the company. Proceanic, which provides engineering, project management and underwater inspection services, is a long-time attendee of the career fair. Operations coordinator and remotely operated vehicle supervisor Jose Betancourt was also in attendance, talking with students about working for the company. 

"The A&M Galveston grads that work for us all work hard and have a good educational background," said Betancourt. "We're looking for personnel with experience in ocean or marine engineering or naval architecture, and an education from Texas A&M sets new employees up for success in their transition from school into their career."

"Many employers expressed excitement about the caliber of our students," said Maya Sandy '22, career services coordinator for the campus. "Although those of us here on campus know our students' potential, it's great to hear that from their future employers." She continued, "One recruiter's comment, in particular, really struck me: He said, 'In true A&M fashion, you deliver the best of the best,' and he couldn't be more right."