Career, Internship Opportunities Sky High at First Aviation, Aeronautics & Aerospace Recruitment Fair at TAMIU

Career and internship opportunities were up, up and away at the inaugural Aviation, Aeronautics & Aerospace Recruitment Fair at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) on Saturday, September 30, 2023,  in the TAMIU Student Center Ballroom (second floor).

The event was free of charge, open to the public, and no advance registration was needed to attend.

TAMIU students, graduates, and members of the Laredo community at large took part in the outstanding career and internship opportunity in a dynamic industry. The Laredo event was the only recruitment event in Texas. Other events are scheduled in California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Puerto Rico.

An initiative of the Hispanic Employment Program (HEP), this Fair aimed to create outreach opportunities for Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) like TAMIU to connect students with valuable information about the industry, internship opportunities, federal job applications, and resume writing for government positions. 

Attendees had such opportunities with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Homeland Security, and others. Presentations and networking was offered by agency leaders and industry representatives such as the Latinos Pilots Association and Latinas in Aviation. 

Also presenting were:

• Opening Speaker Deputy Vice President James Linney Director Of Operations Support · Federal Aviation Administration - Opening Speaker
• Lunchtime Speaker Angela McCullough - Deputy Chief Operating Officer (A), Air Traffic Organization - Women in Leadership Lunch Time Speaker
• Lizbeth Alvarado - Contributing author in the book Latinas in Aviation: Stories of Passion, Power, and Breaking into the Aviation Industry (Fig Factor Media).

TAMIU College of Education Dean Dr. James O’Meara helped champion the first-ever effort and said it grew from a meeting last year.

“This event was born from a meeting at the 36th Annual Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Conference in San Diego, CA. last October and a meeting with Migdalia González, manager of the  FAA’s Hispanic Employment Program (HEP). She was looking for a successful HSI in Texas with a strong talent pool to host one of six recruitment fairs in the US as part of its effort to showcase Hispanic higher education success and rebuild a more resilient and inclusive America.  I introduced her to TAMIU, and she was sold immediately on the idea that TAMIU would be the sole Fair location for Texas…and here we are less than a year later, hosting the event,” Dr. O’Meara explained.

O’Meara noted that the event strongly links to the University’s long-term focus on STEM initiatives.

“TAMIU is a transformative agent in students’ lives and we’ve been aggressively addressing the STEM gap, especially in the Hispanic community. The FAA’s HEP shares that concern and is actively involved in promoting STEM awareness, and creating a positive impact in the aviation and STEM fields through various events and initiatives like this inaugural fair,” O’Meara explained.

He said he believes that there is great potential for TAMIU and Laredo to provide a strong and diverse talent pool ready for opportunities from Fair agencies and industry representatives.

“We have an exceptional talent pool here at TAMIU with young, bright, and eager students and graduates that are intrigued by an avenue for them to reap the rewards of a STEM-focused education,” he noted, “That, coupled with our community’s diverse strengths and commitment to building economic growth means the sky is the limit.  We hope to be the permanent Texas host for this annual fair,” he concluded.

Student Attendees were encouraged to wear something to let the recruiter know which College/School they represented as well as to bring their resume to the event so that they could explore all opportunities.

As the event fell on the eve of World Teacher Day, organizers were awarding five $100 gift cards for teachers to use to stock up their classrooms. Students in attendance were asked to visit the Teachers Can Table and nominated their teacher by putting their name into selection for a drawing.

University news and information can also be found online at tamiu.edu and on TAMIU’s social channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Twitter, and YouTube.