In late February, CommUniverCity connected SJSU students, staff, and faculty to windows of community involvement opportunities during the Spring 2022 Community Connections Fair.
The Community Connections Fair hosted by Center for Community Learning & Leadership took place on February 23 from 10AM-1:30PM, where CommUniverCity Department Analyst Matthew Snyder and Brenda Flores, Masters in Public Health 291B intern were there for the entire duration of the event, including set up time.
A handful of other CommUniverCitans joined the table including COMM157SL interns Timothy Oliver, Aaron Ramirez, Adrian Munoz, and Communications and Marketing Specialist, Mary Kay Jimenez-Floyd.
We even had cameos including past Growing Sustainably Program Manager Matt Spadoni, CORAL Site Manager Jesus Gomez-Garcia, and Young Entrepreneurs Academy Faculty in Residence , Pamela Wells.
Needless to say that we had a blast on that sunny February morning and afternoon!
Laid out on our table were many resources to stay in-the-know when it comes to the community, including QR codes to our Linktree and subscription for the CommUniverCitan newsletter, a short and sweet pamphlet, our latest published annual report, and of course, sanitizing products to keep each other safe while we talk all things community.
We even had cameos including past Growing Sustainably Program Manager Matt Spadoni, CORAL Site Manager Jesus Gomez-Garcia, and Young Entrepreneurs Academy Faculty Lead, Pamela Wells.
Tallying to a total of just over 120 visitors at our booth, the volunteers at the table were buzzing bees all day, talking about the wondrous opportunities for students and faculty to be potentially involved in.
There was a main message for all types of audiences.
For the students, we wanted to relay that there would be multiple job opportunities with us that they might be interested in that will be opening up in the near future, further explaining that their studies and interests can be exercised through our work.
Being able to have multiple CommUniverCitans speak at our table was beneficial because each and every person had their own approach when talking to the Fair-goers.
Timothy Oliver, COMMS 157 intern, was an enthusiastic and engaging presenter who started off his talk by doing a quick screening.
“Are you an undergraduate or graduate student?… Let’s talk about how this might interest you.” Oliver would first say.
His method of doing a quick screening on students gave him an advantage so that he can gear his talk to the visitors’ area of expertise.
Mary Kay spoke about the benefits of being involved with this organization and encouraged many to sign up for the newsletter and stay updated with us through social media.
Although there weren’t nearly as many staff and faculty showing up to our table as there were students, the overall message in practice was for the faculty to be open to having projects that can fit their class modules and be implemented into the community by student-engaged learning.
Overall, the tabling was a success and it was pleasant to be able to go out and reap the interests of those wanting to get involved. We would do it over and over again!
Want to take the next steps on getting involved? Email matthew.snyder@sjsu.edu to see how you can leave an impact with CommUniverCity.
