The Jack J. Valenti School of Communication hosted its third annual career event, Ctreers in COMM, last Tuesday afternoon in hopes to prepare students for competition in the diverse field.

The event began with a panel of local professionals who each introduced their jobs and offered a sneak peek into the paths they took to get there. Following the panel was a speed dating-inspired roundtable session in which students spent approximately 12 minutes talking with each professional about a specific topic.

In her introduction, Vickie Angenend used her experience at KTRK to express how important internships are to the communications field. Collecting skills from different areas is the best way to prepare for future employers.

“This industry takes commitment,” Angenend said. “It takes passion.”

In his short introduction, Phil Morabito used his interview experiences to illustrate why passion and commitment are important.  He recalls borrowing a friend’s suit during follow-up interviews because he only had one. He also wanted students to know that passive aggression will not get students very far in the professional field and perseverance is important.

“You all can do anything you want to do,” he said. “But you have to demonstrate a hunger and an interest because these days, not enough kids are showing that.”

Participants of the roundtable were representatives of companies such as the Houston Chronicle, Memorial Hermann Healthcare and Pierpoint Communications –  to name a few. Each table consisted of a topic that would help the student prepare for a career in their desired communication concentration. Some topics discussed were How to Impress Your Interviewer, Finding Job Openings and Social/Digital Media in PR.

“Social impact is huge on social change,” Jillian Goltzman of Integrate Agency said. “Communications majors are so lucky because they have a larger ability to make a change.”

The room was filled with students from all communications concentrations hoping to learn more about how to find success moving forward.

Broadcast journalism junior Valeria Lozano said she attended the event to find direction.

“I want to learn more about what I have to do and what is out there for me,” she said. “This event is such good idea for communications students because I feel like it gives students a heads up of what is to come.”

Laura Ashley, internship coordinator for the communications department, believes this event is important because it takes on a more specific approach.

“Students can come to this event and walk out knowing more about their specific field,” she said. “It’s a little different than the career fairs offered by UH Career Services because this event is geared more toward the student’s level of interest.”

Ashley hopes that students take the topics discussed at the roundtables to heart.