On Sept. 11, a day of reflection for America, representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informed students of opportunities to serve their country.
The information session was led by special agent John Kelly, who has worked with Bradley students for years. The relationship between the U.S. Department of Justice , the FBI, and Bradley has been ongoing, but this is the first information session they have held.
Kirstin Ringel, administrative support for the Smith Career Center, said that Kelly has been helpful to students in the past. Kelly serves as a great resource for navigating the applications for the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI, which can be extensive. This is especially good timing for an information session as the Oct. 14 deadline for these applications draws near.
55 students packed into a classroom in Bradley Hall to hear Kelly speak about the opportunities offered by these organizations.
“The FBI is not just looking for police and special agents,” Ringel said. “When you’ve got a company you’re not really interested in and you think they won’t be interested in you, still try; you can be pleasantly surprised.”
Will McDermith, a senior mechanical engineer major, and Makenna Soldal, a senior construction major, are two examples of attendees whose majors are not typically associated with the FBI or U.S. Department of Justice.
“I was interested in the engineering-related fields the FBI had to offer,” McDermith said. “The FBI has a program specifically dedicated to hiring recent college graduates.”
“I thought it would be super cool to add the title ‘secret agent’ to my resume in a few years,” Soldal said.
These students learned that the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice offer more opportunities than they originally thought.
“The FBI is everywhere. Literally. There is an FBI office in Peoria and Springfield and I had no idea,” Soldal said.
“Previously I thought they would require more work experience,” McDermith said.
The Smith Career Center has several companies host information sessions like this one in the days leading up to the job and internship fair.
“It’s an opportunity for students to get in front of the employer with a little less pressure,” Ringel said.
Information sessions hosted by the Smith Career Center draw a smaller crowd of students than the job and internship fairs, meaning that those in attendance have direct access to the employer.
“Professional interactions are very important, even for freshmen and sophomores,” Ringel said.
As many students learned at the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice information session, it is a good idea to take advantage of the opportunities hosted by the Smith Career Center to further their careers.
