Students scoured job opportunities and heard from businesses, ranging from summer camps to health insurance providers, at the Spring Job Fair in the Ronnie Williams Student Center Ballroom on March 6.  

Arvest Bank employee Amber Boone said she graduated from UCA with a degree in nutrition and works in human resources. 

“We are a really family-oriented company,” she said. “We have a summer internship program. It is 10 weeks long. It’s a paid internship. It ranges from retail banking, lending, IT [information technology]. We do marketing. We have HR [human resources] openings all for our internships.

“It’s a really great opportunity to work with several other interns and work as a team on a group project all summer long. Then you present at the end of the summer. It’s a really great learning experience.”

She said Arvest has several entry-level retail positions “just to get your foot in the door.”

“We love to promote within, so you can get training and certifications and continue to move within the company,” she said.

Victor Keas, a senior majoring in film and minoring in history, said, “I’m looking mainly for jobs I could utilize my skills in photography and filmmaking.”

He said the Sherwin-Williams booth grabbed his attention.

“They were like, ‘We got this colorful store,’ and I’m like, I like working with colors. It’s less bleak than working with fast food,” he said.

Baptist Health employee Kelly Davis said the hospital offers job opportunities in “every aspect of a business.”

“It’s not just patient care,” she said. “It’s accounting, IT, management, every department that you can imagine. Finance, marketing. We have a lot of IT opportunities — that seems to be a lot of what everybody’s been looking for.”

Baptist Health employee Deborah Warner said, “Our website is updated in real-time, so there’s a position every day.”

Alyssa Smith, a sophomore majoring in cybersecurity management and minoring in Spanish, said, “I’m looking for more summer internships with IT. I’ve had a really good reception with all of these companies because IT is such a big part of companies. It’s been a really nice experience here.”

Apptegy employee Megan Davis said Apptegy is “an education technology startup headquartered in Little Rock.”

“We build custom communication platforms for school districts to help them simplify and streamline communication. We’re looking for entry-level sales or entry-level client relations,” she said. “Something unique about us — you don’t have to have a certain major or background to work for us. We’re looking for students who are interested in coming in, learning a skill and then mastering that skill.”

She said the company is looking for a candidate who’s “self-motivated, looking to push themselves, as well as grow.”

“We believe in work-life integration, so if you’re working hard at work, it’s just going to help you in your personal life as well,” she said.

Luis Reyes, a junior majoring in exercise science, said he was looking for an entry-level field “to just build my experience.”

“I’m going to need to go to a grad program. So I’m going to be busy with more school regardless of where I go,” he said. “Just something that can help me fill in that gap while I wait to go to that grad program.”

Arkansas Department of Human Services employee Vincent Insalago said, “Literally, the only requirement we have is that you’re 18, whether it be a high school diploma, nursing, doctorate.”

“We have everything from your food preps, your kitchen techs, your behavioral aides, your receptionist, your attorneys, your lawyers,” he said. “We’re the largest agency in the entire state — 9,000 positions. We have an office in every county of the state.”

Skylar Nelsen, a junior double majoring in creative writing and film, said, “One of the things I think is easiest for me to get an opportunity in is something with a news station, and I’m so excited because there was one — I’ve only found one news station here [40/29 News].”

Visioncare Arkansas employee Callie Hicks said the company is looking for “anyone motivated.”

She said it offers “anything from patient care, technicians to part-time, answering phones, receptionist, insurance and then on the flip side optical sales, so glasses sales, contact lens sales, a patient advisor.”

Aidan Lemley, a senior majoring in computer science, said, “I’m looking for something data driven, something maybe design driven … I’m graduating with a focus in data science, but also, I just like the design, humanities aspect of it all too.”

Youth Villages employee Joshua Buck said, “We’re a nonprofit organization that focuses primarily on keeping families together and making sure that they live successfully.”

He said the organization has many internships and full-time job opportunities.

“We offer the intercept program, which is our intensive in-home program. We also offer a LifeSet program, which focuses on transitional-age youth — so those young people that are 17 to 21 that have been in foster care their whole lives, and they want to find a way to just get out there on their own,” he said. “So we’re doing a lot of great things in the state right now. We operate in about 37 different counties across the whole state of Arkansas. We’ve been there since 2019, and so we’ve grown very quickly.”

He said, “We’re looking for somebody who’s passionate about coming in and helping people. And we also want somebody who understands that this is a job, you got to be organized, you gotta be on time and all that. But as long as your heart’s in the right place, and you want to have a job that has meaning. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Autumn Lomax, a junior majoring in sociology and minoring in psychology, said, “I’m looking for an opportunity in HR. I like the Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield booth.”

Blue Cross Blue Shield employee Regina Ealy said the company has 18 paid intern positions.

“We also have low-level, coming-in, entry-level positions like our customer service claims areas positions and associate positions,” she said.

She said, “But coming out of college, you want to look for the associate role that’s not asking for more experience.”

Khloe Rodgers, a sophomore majoring in nursing, said she is looking for nursing job opportunities. 

“I love working with kids, older people. I love just taking care of people,” she said.

She said she enjoyed the Pediatrics Plus booth.

“They help kids with special needs, and that’s something I’m really interested in,” she said.

Ferncliff employee Jocelyn Wildwright said, “We are a summer camp that is currently hiring for our summer position. We hire camp counselors, lifeguards and media staff. So, we are currently recruiting for those full summer positions.”

She said, “I’m looking for somebody who likes to be outdoors. We are an outdoor summer camp, and I’m looking for somebody who likes working with kids. So if you hate kids, this is probably not the job for you.”

Kaylee Derusse, a sophomore majoring in business management and minoring in marketing, said she has her eyes on a job in data policy.

“I love studying the economy and the effects it has on people,” she said. “I think a lot of people overlook that — their everyday life is so busy — but when you get down to the nitty-gritty, it’s really interesting.”

Mackenzie Ainsworth, a sophomore majoring in accounting, said, “I’m an accounting major, and I hope to one day be a corporate accountant … maybe adventure into international accounting and then a career in Japan … I like seeing the way the data flows. It just kind of clicks to me.”