More media and communication employers should recruit students at California Lutheran University.
On March 26, I attended Cal Lutheran’s annual Career and Intern Expo. As a communication major, I went to the event in search of employers that specialize in media, most specifically within the realm of entertainment, in the hopes of finding a possible summer internship. However, when I walked up and down the Spine, nothing clicked for me.
According to the Career and Intern Expo webpage, the university hosted over 90 employers from various industries such as education, law enforcement, healthcare and STEM.
However, there was only one employer that mainly pertained to my major and emphasis area of film and television: Kahn Media, a full-service marketing agency that specializes in the automotive industry. Since I’m not interested in that sector, I was disappointed with the lack of media and communication employers at the expo.
I was left wondering, why don’t any of these employers come to Cal Lutheran? According to the Career and Intern Expo webpage, media companies like ABC7 and Cumulus Media have attended the event in the past, but not since I’ve participated in the event.
Cynthia Smith, career counselor and assistant director of Career Services, said the university has “no control” over which employers decide to attend the expo, including entertainment employers.
“We get well over 100 employers that come every year, but unfortunately, we can’t control [who comes],” Smith said. “It’s [the employer’s] choice, whether they choose to attend or not.”
Smith said Career Services invites over 20,000 employers from their CLUPostings.com database to the expo.
“[The employers] all get an invitation, and whoever decides to attend, or has the budget to attend, ends up being the ones that show up,” Smith said. “We do have some regular employers that come back every year, and then every year we get some new ones as well.”
Employers coming to the Career and Intern Expo pay fees to the university, according to Smith.
For next year’s event, there are two packages they can register with: VIP and standard. The VIP registration fee costs $450 and the standard registration fee costs $380, according to the 2026 registration webpage. Smith said employers are able to get an “early bird pricing” discount of $50 if they register by Jan. 9, 2026.
“[Employers] pay a little bit more for the [VIP] package to get a little more advertising throughout the span leading up to the event. So their logo gets placed on the event page. They are also designated VIPs on all of our marketing materials. They have access to our resume subscription, and then we do a social media story for them as well,” Smith said.
As a communication student, I am required to have at least one internship in order for me to graduate. Having an internship during college doubles the odds of students having a job after graduation and being engaged in work over a lifetime, according to an article by Forbes.
Seeing the lack of media opportunities at the event made me feel discouraged that I would not be able to earn an internship during my undergraduate studies.
I have seen faculty address this shortfall firsthand. My professor Jean Sandlin, chair of the Communication Department, said she brings in guest speakers to her classes that work in the media and communications field.
“We have great alumni who are in those fields, and they have been so generous with their time to come and talk to my classes,” Sandlin said. “They enjoy meeting our students and being back on campus and my students gained so much insight from them.”
Sandlin said the Communication Department is “fortunate” to have alumni who are willing to come back and talk to students about their careers.
“I think that’s important not only for the advice and wisdom that [the alumni] bring, but also just to give people hope,” Sandlin said. “They’re really living out the mission of Cal Lutheran by coming back and serving the institution [and] serving our students.”
Yousef Manna ‘23, associate at Current Global, was one of the speakers Sandlin invited to speak to my Principles of Public Relations class through Zoom.
Manna talked about the realities of working in public relations, such as the fast-paced environment and “juggling clients” and the “fun” growth that comes along with it, according to Sandlin’s LinkedIn post. She said scheduling guest speakers, like Manna, is important as it allows her students to interact with professionals who work in the communications field.
“[Students] can get a broader view of what the job looks like and that transition from college into that career and how they got there. That’s one of the things that’s really valuable,” Sandlin said.
As a student in Sandlin’s classes, I have been given insight from the guest speakers on what it is like to work in the communication field, like public relations and government communication. These guest speakers have given me hope in pursuing a career within the expansive field, and I feel fortunate to have heard their advice.
Manna’s experience in public relations made me feel encouraged to step into the communication field. Having more people like Manna at the Career and Job Expo would not only be beneficial to communication students, but other alumni who may be interested in pursuing public relations as well.
Personally, I hope more media and communication employers recognize that Cal Lutheran is a great place to come and recruit students for internships and jobs.
Since the Career and Intern expo is Career Services’ biggest event of the year, I am surprised these employers have not considered showing up to the expo—especially since students utilize the expo to look for internships.
