Evelina Okonski, a junior majoring in sales and marketing, was seeking an internship that would build professional experience before she enters the workforce full time. She had already completed a study abroad program that included an internship component. Also, she’s a member of Stetson’s prestigious Presidential Fellows Program. Now, Okonski, appropriately wearing a Stetson hat, was intent on, as she described it, “putting myself out there.”

“Right now I’m kind of in the space where I’m trying to get as much experience underneath my belt before I step into that career world,” Okonski said with a determined smile.

LaShawn Troutman had a welcoming smile. He is a recruitment and retention specialist for Volusia County Schools, where the district was looking to fill instructional and educational positions, such as Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teachers, music teachers and paraprofessionals. His fourth time at the event, Troutman praised the university for being a consistent and reliable source of strong job candidates.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had an issue in my tenure here with finding great talent from Stetson,” he said. “They’re our neighbors. We always have a great partnership with Stetson.”

Okonski was joined by approximately 472 other students, alumni and guests at the 2026 Fall Internship & Career Expo, hosted by Stetson’s office of Career Success on Friday, Sept. 25, noon-3 p.m., at the Rinker Field House’s Hollis Center. There, they were greeted by Troutman and other representatives from nearly 60 organizations, who exhibited in hopes of attracting new talent. Aside from meeting with organizations, students received cultural credit and a free professional headshot. Not coincidentally, the event saw several lines of eager students awaiting entry throughout the afternoon.

Senior Cesar Mayorga, a digital arts major, took advantage of both the cultural credit and headshot. Also, he was clutching a business card from a DeLand service organization seeking a videographer. His introduction and conversation had just gone well. “I’m looking for spaces in digital arts companies. Today, I found a possible videographer position. I got their contact information. This has been really, really fun. There were some other opportunities, not necessarily a job, but also volunteer opportunities that I could use to build my resume,” said Mayorga, who was both relieved and hopeful.

Sophomore Michael Braca, attending a job fair for the first time, was in the early stages of his search. Majoring in business administration and finance, he was looking for “an internship or at least getting my foot in the door with some of these big companies.” His approach was simply to put his best foot forward. “I think the thought process is just ‘first things first,’ making the best impression you can, making sure they know you have a personality,” Braca said.

“Everyone here can have a degree, but what separates you from the rest is your personality and how you act and how you actually work. And I think my work ethic would separate me from the rest.”

Now seeing the fair from both perspectives, Dakota Phillips would likely agree with such a statement. Phillips graduated from Stetson in 2024 as a political science major with a minor in sales. Today, he is a property and casualty consultant with Brown & Brown Insurance, a company based in Daytona Beach with approximately 29,000 employees. At the fair recruiting sales-oriented candidates, Phillips believed he wasn’t short on applicants. “No one is lacking confidence,” he said. “Everyone is willing to talk to me. Everyone’s willing to give their name and being very confident about what they want out of life and what position they’re looking for.”

That’s music to the ears of Career Success Director Liz Connor. A proud Stetson alumna herself, she was excited to see “so many Hatters” exploring career opportunities and internships. “From business, health and technology to music and more, this event showcased opportunities for all attendees. The energy of this year’s Expo was like no other,” Connor said.

“It was amazing to see Hatters building professional relationships with our employers and alumni. Our Hatters were dressed professionally, excited to make new connections and confident about sharing their Stetson stories.”

-Michael Candelaria

Partners

• Bankers Life
• Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, P.A.
• Chesapeake Utilities Corporation
• Consolidated Electrical Distributors
• Doeren Mayhew
• Mainstreet Community Bank of Florida
• Specialized ABA, LLC

Organizations / Exhibitors

• AdventHealth DeLand
• Bankers Life
• Batts Morrison Wales & Lee P.A.
• Blue Spring State Park
• Brevard Public Schools
• Brown & Brown Insurance
• Carr Riggs & Ingram L.L.C
• Charter Schools USA
• Chesapeake Utilities Corporation
• City Year
• Consolidated Electrical Distributors
• County of Volusia
• David Vaughan Investments
• Details Flowers Software
• Devereux Florida
• Doeren Mayhew
• Encore
• Enterprise Mobility
• Evermore
• Fastenal Company
• FBI Jacksonville
• Florida Auditor General
• Florida Department of Transportation
• Florida Financial Advisors
• Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches
• Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras
• GellerRagans
• Hispanic Health Initiatives
• Insight Credit Union
• James Moore & Co., PL
• John Knox Village of Central Florida
• Lockheed Martin
• Mainstreet Community Bank of Florida
• Massey Services
• NNN Capital
• Northwestern Mutual
• Opera Orlando
• Orange County Sheriff’s Office
• Providing Autism Links & Support
• Publix Super Markets Inc.
• Residing Hope
• Robert Half
• Security First Insurance Company
• Sherwin-Williams
• Specialized ABA, LLC
• Stark Tech
• Stetson University Brain Fitness Academy
• Stetson University College of Law
• Stetson University Graduate Programs
• Stetson University Student Employment
• The Neighborhood Center of West Volusia
• The Peace Corps
• Twenty-Six Defense Maritime
• United States Marine Corps
• Volusia County Schools
• Waffle House