Florida A&M students gathered Wednesday in Gaither Gym for the Graduate Feeder Scholar Recruitment Fair.
The fair was dedicated to the advancement of students into graduate school. Universities from all over the country were on hand to bring information to students interested in the programs offered by their schools. Institutions such as North Carolina A&T State University, Clark-Atlanta University, University of Florida and the University of Missouri were among the universities showcasing their graduate programs.
Tiara Wair and Erika Salazar, staff from the University of California, Los Angeles Graduate of Education department, spoke on their school’s different programs and why students should choose UCLA.
“UCLA offers over 130 graduate programs to students,” Wair said. “We offer a wide variety of master, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees to students interested in social, natural sciences and humanities disciplines, and more.”
Salazar shared her reasoning for why students should choose UCLA.
“UCLA has an amazing graduate student community that offers a lot of resources to our students,” Salazar said. “We have resources such as the Graduate Student Resource Center that helps students during their time at UCLA.”
Just recently the university opened the Black Bruin Resource Center for African-American students on campus to help create a safe space for students of color.
Timia Williams, a third-year psychology student from Homewood, Illinois, shared her experience while attending the fair.
“It felt incredible to have many schools here offering a range of different degree programs,” Williams said. “One thing about Florida A&M, they will ensure that we have the tools required to be successful after graduation.”
Williams wants to be a child psychologist. She says she wants to help children to have a better childhood, based on her own. Growing up in the suburbs south of Chicago, Williams saw many single-parent homes and children of incarcerated parents. Seeing the psychological development of many of her peers facing these issues inspired her to go into her career field.
Travis Jones, a senior graduate recruiter at Clark Atlanta University represented the office of graduate admissions at the fair.
Jones said he is looking for hungry students eager to succeed.
“I am looking for students who are goal-driven, ambitious, and know exactly what they want out of their degree,” Jones said. “Students are required to submit a letter of intent displaying their goals and what their degree will do for them in their application. Seeing this allows me to see exactly how important it is for students who are interested in receiving their degree.”
Clark Atlanta offers graduate degrees in four different programs including social work, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business Administration, and School of Education.
Maya Wooder, a graduate student in the soil and water program at FAMU, says she knows she wants to attend graduate school.
“I am interested in graduate school because I want to learn more about soil and continue on my education into a Ph.D. program,” Wooder said. “I am interested in going to several tables today to get to know each university, and what they could possibly offer to me.”