We went to the Diversity Career Symposium today. Leaving the bus, I never felt so nervous in my life because I did not know what to expect, but as the day went on, I loosened up and it was a great and beneficially experience. I learned that even in the professional world, it is okay to be yourself, in a professional manner. These companies want diverse candidates because they offer what other people can’t. Diverse candidates have insight and values that each company is yearning for. Each panel was beneficial. One that really stood out to me was S.P.I.C.E. It was about making a good first impression. Terry Houston hit the ball out the park. She took her panel to the next level with her enthusiasm and energy. She even passed around Altoids because a good first impression does not include bad breathe. Coming into the actually career fair was disappointing at first. Most of the companies there were looking for juniors or seniors. Most of their job shadowing and internships were for juniors or seniors. As time went on, I started using the career fair just to get rid of my fear of talking to professionals. I went around testing the waters to see what questions would spark interesting conversations and what made me seem real interested in their company. Although most of the internships and job shadowing programs were for juniors and seniors, I ran into Kaiser Permanente and they are having summer internships for freshman and sophomores too. I would really like to explore this career path, so I am going to apply for the internship they are offering this summer.