UMW Career and Internship Fair Matches Students, Employers

Armed with a recently revamped résumé and knowledge collected from coursework, University of Mary Washington junior Abigail Fuller made the rounds at UMW’s 2025 Career and Internship Fair.

“My dream is to work in a museum someday, ideally in my favorite place in the world, Washington, D.C.,” Fuller, a history major with a minor in museum studies, wrote in an introductory blog post for one of her classes.

Along with hundreds of fellow UMW students, she came one step closer to fulfilling her professional goals by attending this month’s fair, which featured 45 organizations from industries as varied as education, health care and finance. Fanned out across the Cedric Rucker University Center’s Chandler Ballroom, they drew potential employees to information tables with candy, snacks and colorful tchotchkes, like highlighters, bookmarks and pens. But the four-hour biannual fair, hosted by the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD), has a serious side, aiming to match companies with open positions to students looking to fill them.

“Hands-on events like these are so critical to students, particularly UMW students who are passionate, driven and seek those interpersonal relationships that will set them up for success,” said CCPD Student Experience Manager Emily Burke ’15. “I’m so encouraged to see them interact with a diverse range of employers who actively want to hire students and alumni from Mary Washington.”

UMW junior Abigail Fuller, who’s majoring in history and minoring in museum studies, attended the recent Career and Internship Fair. Her dream job is to work in a museum in Washington, D.C., where she was born. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Amber Golmon Dawson, who earned a bachelor’s degree in historic preservation from UMW last year, was at the Career and Internship Fair to recruit interns for Brompton Community School, of which she is founder and director. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW sophomore Trey Nix, an accounting major, stops to inquire at the LOK Fashion Academy’s table at the Career and Internship Fair. The Stafford County fashion institute was one of 45 employers who came to the fair looking for students to hire. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

That’s just what Brompton Community School Founder and Director Amber Golmon Dawson, who earned a historic preservation degree from UMW last year, was onsite to do. Mary Washington students hired as teachers by the independent K-8 school, based in Fredericksburg and focused on the natural world, are well-prepared, creative and coachable, Dawson said. “They immediately become part of the community and what we do, and they are just quality educators.”

Marie King, owner, president and designer at LOK Custom Fashion Institute in Stafford County, was on the lookout for potential hires with presence and personality. A participating employer in the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership Matching Funds Program, administered regionally by UMW, she received training and state funding to build internships within her company.

Trey Nix stopped by King’s table to peddle his flair for fashion, but the sophomore is also focused on making the most of his accounting major. “I have a deep-rooted passion for helping people with their finances,” said Nix, who transferred to Mary Washington from High Point University in North Carolina. “I’m looking for an internship that will allow me to step into an experience as soon as possible and really flourish in my major.”

UMW senior Vivian Reinhardt, a communication and digital studies major, made the rounds at the recent Career and Internship Fair, taking advantage of the opportunity to introduce herself to a roomful of prospective employers. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Students exchanged resumes for job information at UMW’s recent Career and Internship Fair, held in the Cedric Rucker University Center’s Chandler Ballroom. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW students Ava Shumate (left) and Sarah Eltablyhi peruse the recent Career and Internship Fair, held in the Cedric Rucker University Center’s Chandler Ballroom. Forty-five local and regional employers attended, along with hundreds of students. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Also open to UMW alumni and students from community colleges, the Career and Internship Fair welcomed recruiters from credit unions, contracting companies, government entities, law enforcement, an array of school systems and more. UMW’s Office of Disability Resources, Center for International Education, and Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement were on-hand, as well, to seek out qualified students.

“Participating in a UMW career fair offers employers the chance to connect with a pool of highly motivated, educated students excited to begin their careers,” CCPD Associate Director of Employer Engagement Linda Catullo said of the fair, which featured professional headshots. “These events also promote regional growth by creating job opportunities. This, in turn, fosters economic development and supports talent retention, benefiting the local workforce and the broader community.”

The Fall 2025 Career and Internship Fair is set to take place on Thursday, Sept. 25. For more information on the spring event, along with a complete list of participating employers, visit the Center for Career and Professional Development’s events page.