Celia Rose waited for her plane at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on March 7 at the start of spring break.

By about 8 p.m., she would land in Guanajuato, a mountainous colonial city in central Mexico. She’d visit the Wong family, who lodged the senior from Columbia, Tenn.

Students spend four years in class and 15 minutes in a job interview.

That can be scary, but it can be easier with preparation, said Becky Bennett, director of the Career Services Center.

Bennett said many employers want someone who can learn and adapt, has done research, has experience and leadership and communication skills.

When I was a kid, I had some sort of hero complex. I changed career goals weekly, as most kids do, but each of my jobs came with some strange caveat.

Normal kids want to be a veterinarian. But I wanted to be a veterinarian who worked in a zoo so I could help the animals escape.

Students can get ready early for job fair

The following is a calendar of events and workshops leading up to the spring job fair as part of the career services department’s Career Preparation Program Series.