Meet Four New Graduates Who Have Jobs Lined Up

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Arden Ferrowitz, BA in Psychology and in Sociology

I’ll be a case manager at GEO Reentry in San Francisco, helping people transition from prison to the rest of their lives. After a couple years of working, I’ll go back to school for either a PsyD or a master’s degree in forensic psychology.

To land my job, I first went to a career fair in McLaren Hall in the spring semester of my first year. I met with a recruiter from the Progress Foundation and landed the relief counselor internship that I held for three years. Then, this semester I interned at GEO Reentry. My internship there led to my job offer.

My career advice to students? Pound the pavement. Show up in person and ask for a job. If you apply online through a job site like Indeed.com or ZipRecruiter, there’s so many applicants that you might never be found. It’s better if you look at Indeed.com just to see which organizations are hiring, and then go to the particular websites and try to find the names and emails of the hiring managers. Email those managers. Try to make a human connection. Or do what I did and just show up in person. Ask the person behind the counter if they’re hiring. Ask the person at the front desk. Ask the recruiter at the job fair.

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Deriana Brown, BSBA in Accounting and in Entrepreneurship & Innovation

I’ll be an audit and assurance associate at Deloitte in San Francisco. I check financial statements to make sure nothing is overstated, understated, or “creative.”  I’m basically like the person who reads your school papers and checks for errors, except with numbers instead of grammar and punctuation.

To land my job, I went to a Meet the Firms event on campus in the fall of my junior year and met with a recruiter from Deloitte. She looked at my resume and noticed I’d had an internship at Nordstrom. She started her career at Nordstrom, so we had a bonding moment. I never thought a retail management internship at Nordstrom would lead to an accounting internship at Deloitte. I interned there last summer, and at the end of summer they offered me a full-time position.

My career advice: Start early! I went to a job fair on campus my freshman year, even though it was for juniors and seniors. I recommend you use all the resources at USF. Ask the Career Services Center for help. They help with resumes, interviews, take you on tours to companies. Also, listen to your professors. Professors Tatiana Fedyk and Joohyung Ha encouraged me to major in accounting. At the time I was an entrepreneurship & innovation major and I wasn’t sure I wanted to work for a startup right out of college, so I added an accounting major. I’m so glad I did.

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Lucas Ruiz Brockl, MS Sport Management

I’ll be the coordinator of brand partnerships for the Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul sports clubs. Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul are soccer clubs that “harness the magic of Oakland and the power of sports as a force for social good.” 

To land my job, I started interning at Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul in March of 2024. At first I was a game-day intern. Then I shifted into brand-partnership work in the front office. They offered me the brand partnership position at the end of January of this year. I’ve been working full-time since then.

My career advice to students: Be fearless. Apply. Don’t worry if you don’t have much experience in a particular field. Everyone has to start somewhere. If you can communicate and if you’re adaptable and can learn on the fly, you can do well anywhere. The faculty and staff of sport management have been totally supportive and helpful.
 

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Koa Fong, BSBA Finance

I’ll be a finance and accounting assistant at CSM Group in Houston, Texas, my hometown. CSM owns and operates about 100 Popeyes locations, and they also brought Tim Hortons, the Canadian coffee chain, to Houston. I’ll be working directly under their head of finance to help operate and manage these different restaurants.

To land my job, I started last August. I applied for jobs for eight months. Over 150 applications. I’ve had over 20 interviews, all different rounds. I kept track of everything on a spreadsheet, and this job at CSM was one of the only opportunities that really did come through and ultimately it was through my network. Someone in my network literally gave the CEO my resume, and I had an interview the next day.

My career advice: Get involved. Be proactive. At USF, there’s so many different organizations and clubs that you can join, and you can surround yourself with the people you want to become. I’m super involved with the McCarthy Center and all of their events because I love their mission and their values. Same thing with the Change Institute. Honestly, read all the USF emails and keep up with the different events and opportunities on campus. Also, LinkedIn is an amazing tool. I think one of the craziest things I did was actually go through who I follow on Instagram, and then I looked for their LinkedIn because I was like, these are friends from elementary school, middle school, high school that maybe I haven’t talked to in years, but I would love to connect with them professionally. Finally, ask your professors for help. Professor Neil Walshe has so much industry experience, and he helped me prepare for my job interviews. His support has meant everything to me in the last year.