The second floor of the Howard Gittis Student Center was buzzing on March 25 with hundreds of students moving from table to table, making connections, asking questions and, in many cases, rethinking what a future in criminal justice could look like.

Over 300 students attended this year’s Criminal & Social Justice Career Fair, the event’s largest attendance to date and a far cry from its humble beginnings almost fifteen years ago on Temple’s Ambler campus. Cheryl Irons, Associate Professor in the Criminal Justice Department, has coordinated the event since its inception and overseen its growth into one of the college’s largest career fairs. 

“When we started, it wasn’t necessarily about employment as much as it was about education,” says Irons. “It was about giving students the opportunity to speak with people who actually do the jobs they’re hoping to get and increasing their awareness of what you can do with this degree.” 

That mission was on full display this year, with more than 50 agencies and organizations represented across federal, state, local and nonprofit sectors. Police and law enforcement agencies from across Pennsylvania and beyond were on hand to speak with students, as well as local nonprofit groups like The Kintock Group and CORA Services. There were also private-sector employers like Capital One, providing insight into corporate roles that draw on criminal justice skill sets.

“We have organizations offering victim services; reentry programs; probation, parole and pretrial services; and legal services,” explains Irons, “We try to provide a broad range so students can come and say, ‘I never thought of that.’”

To that end, this year’s career fair was preceded by a series of workshops covering topics such as careers in forensic psychology and applying to law school. The breadth of professional resources available left an impression on students like junior political science major Alex Collins.

“This was my first event like this, and it was actually nice to see all these agencies, departments and nonprofits come out,” Collins says. “I was surprised at how many different states and municipalities were represented.”

Irons also heads the Criminal Justice Department’s internship program, and she emphasizes the value of the fair to students seeking out internships. After all, she has seen firsthand what those early opportunities can lead to. 

“Every year, I have students from places where I placed them, who are now the person running the table and representing their agency,” Irons says, “which is a really, really gratifying thing to have happen.”

In fact, several tables this year were operated by alumni from Temple’s College of Liberal Arts returning to their alma mater to help open doors for current students. Among those returning CLA graduates was Addie Bocuzzi, CLA ‘23, a global studies and history major who now works as Assistant Program Manager of Next Steps/Promise Corps at PHENND.

As Bocuzzi notes, it was not so long ago that she was in these students’ shoes: “CLA students are obviously dear to my heart, and I remember the tension of graduating with so many avenues ahead of me and no clue which way to turn.” She remains involved with Temple as president of the Honors Alumni Council and regularly attends student engagement events on campus. 

“I appreciate events like these because, as I am recruiting for AmeriCorps programs, I am looking for students who are dedicated to social justice and are service-minded,” says Bocuzzi. “I often find that in Liberal Arts programs and at Temple, especially, because of the position of this campus to Philadelphia and the grounded nature of these students.”

This year’s fair was Irons’ last one in charge. She acknowledges that it is nice for her last fair to be the biggest to date, but she hopes it continues to grow in the years to come, not only in size but in scope, expanding further into the private sector and burgeoning fields like cybersecurity. Most of all, though, she hopes to see more students recognize and take advantage of resources like the Criminal & Social Justice Career Fair. 

“I want it to get more attention and to help more students understand how important it can be for their future,” says Irons. “Once we get them in the room, they love it. They come back and say, ‘That was amazing.’”