\u201cI could tell how excited the team and the coaches were to be there and I was lucky to be able to capture that and show everyone the amazing time they had,\u201d Gollotto says.<\/p>\n When it comes to landing a dream job, sometimes timing is everything. Gollotto hopes his experiences with Red Hawk Athletics and as an intern with the professional soccer club Philadelphia Union lead to a career in his chosen profession. When he does, he won\u2019t be alone. Countless Montclair State University students have parlayed their internships and co-ops both on campus and abroad into careers.<\/p>\n Montclair\u2019s location provides boundless opportunities for hands-on experiences with local governments, businesses, nonprofits, schools and health-care organizations. Students say support from the University\u2019s\u00a0Career Services<\/a>, their\u00a0advisors<\/a>, professors and mentors, and University resources on scholarships, internships and fellowships help them secure positions.<\/p>\n It\u2019s these introductions to professional life, says Chantelle Wright, executive director for Montclair\u2019s Experiential Education and Career Connections, that help students figure out their true passions. \u201cThey\u2019re able to test the waters, to know what works, what they like, what they don\u2019t like, and to also get connected with a support network that can help them build and develop their portfolio and their skills.\u201d<\/p>\n That was the experience of Katarina Rodriguez, a senior Business Administration major, who was accepted into the Governor\u2019s Hispanic Fellows Program. \u201cThe fellowship allowed me to tap into professional development, actively do it, and pursue something that I\u2019m interested in and want to learn more about,\u201d Rodriguez says.<\/p>\n It also included an internship with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to work with the digital team on maternal public health. \u201cIt\u2019s one thing to be in the classroom and learning about managerial accounting and business communications. It\u2019s another to actively apply those lessons and see how they play out in the current environment,\u201d Rodriguez says.<\/p>\n At the start of the fall semester, Richard Steiner-Otoo, a senior majoring in Geographic, Environmental and Urban Studies, spent a week as an intern on a research vessel mapping the seafloor around Hawaii, an internship he discovered was available through the University\u2019s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, a National Science Foundation-funded program.<\/p>\n It\u2019s just one of the opportunities he\u2019s had while a student at Montclair. This past summer, he served as a White House intern in Washington, D.C., working in the Office of Public Engagement. Letters of recommendations from his Montclair professors helped him win the coveted job.<\/p>\n \u201cThe internship experience is far more accessible than people would realize,\u201d Steiner-Otoo says. \u201cThat resonated with me, and is something I want to share.\u201d<\/p>\n From some of the highest-profile names in the region \u2013 like ABC News, the New York professional sports teams and pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson \u2013 to micro internships and shadowing experiences, more than 7,000 employers are approved to recruit Montclair students and alumni, says Jesica Hauser \u201909, \u201922 MA, program associate in University Career Services.<\/p>\n New this year are the\u00a0micro-internships<\/a>, short-term, flexible, paid professional assignments that are similar to those given to new hires or interns. The projects allow students to demonstrate skills, explore career paths and build a network as they seek the right full-time role.<\/p>\n Montclair provides career advisors in each of its schools and colleges, providing one-on-one career counseling, help with resumes and cover letters.\u00a0Career fairs<\/a>\u00a0and events match students with employers who are hiring.<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/responsive-media\/cache\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/09\/VIN_8397-1.jpg.4.2x.generic.jpg\")
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