S1: E21 | Inside an LSCO Career Expo

In this special episode of Gator Bites, we take the podcast on the road to the LSCO Career Expo inside the Shahan Events Center. Host Daniel McLemore walks the expo floor and speaks directly with employers from across Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana to learn about career opportunities, workforce needs, and the qualities companies look for when hiring graduates. From healthcare and emergency services to banking, public health, and community organizations, this episode highlights the many pathways available for students preparing to enter the workforce.

About Lamar State College Orange:
Lamar State College Orange (LSCO) is a two-year, state-supported institution located on the banks of the Sabine River in Orange, Texas. As part of the Texas State University System, LSCO is committed to transforming lives and communities through the continual pursuit of academic, professional, and personal excellence. Serving more than 5,500 students, the College offers associate degrees and certificates in academic, technical, and workforce fields, providing new and unique opportunities for growth and success. With a focus on accessibility, affordability, and innovation, LSCO serves a diverse student population, including a high percentage of first-generation college students. Through strong community partnerships, dedicated faculty and staff, and innovative student support services, LSCO is the bridge connecting those it serves to a bright, Orange future.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Hello and welcome back to the Gator Bikes Podcast, the official podcast of course that college for we interview faculty, staff, and students to give the community an inside look into life here at LSEO. So today's episode is a little bit different because we're coming to you live from the Career Expo inside the Chehan Events Center here on campus. So dozens of employers from across Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana are here today connecting with the community and our students about internships, careers, and opportunities after graduation. So today we're walking around the expo floor and we're talking directly with some of the employers to learn about their organizations, the industries that they represent, and then what they look for when hiring LSCO graduates. So let's jump in. We're going to talk first with the Workforce Solutions of Southeast Texas. So can y'all give us a little bit of an overview of what you guys do here at the Workforce of South Workforce Solutions of Southeast Texas?

SPEAKER_11 1:02

Well, uh at the workforce, we are what we call the employment office. So it's a place where people come if they're looking for work, they're looking to find new jobs, they're looking to change careers, they're looking to go back to school, get some kind of training in a new field. So we have a lot of different programs that we offer for job seekers, as well as our employers. We service them as well with our job fairs and job postings and just helping them to fill positions that are open and available. And because of Southeast Texas, you know, the uh refineries and constructions are some of our biggest employers, along with uh the medical industry, the banking industry, and some of the other industries that are out there. But yeah, so our goal is to help job seekers find jobs and help employers to fill open positions.

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Yep, so just connecting people that don't have a job to with people that have jobs to offer.

SPEAKER_11 1:49

You got it. Got it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Easy, it's the bridge.

SPEAKER_11 1:51

Yes, that there you go. That's exactly what it is.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

And then I'll ask you what uh what advice would you give to students who are preparing to enter the workforce?

SPEAKER_10 1:58

Come visit the workforce solutions and talk to any of our staff, and we can help guide them and do career assessments to help them figure out what job is best for them.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Awesome. And then just kind of a personal question for y'all what what do you love most about the job that you do?

SPEAKER_10 2:14

Well, for me, yeah, I just love working with people. Um, I I love assisting them on that path to find their career. Yeah, and we have a youth program. So with our young folks, uh we have a work, um, it's called a paid work experience. So that allows them to get experience in other fields they normally wouldn't get anywhere else.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_10 2:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

I love it.

SPEAKER_11 2:37

So for myself, I work mostly with the employers, but I also partner with uh my coworker here and helping to place those youth into different businesses and companies and nonprofits and stuff. So uh just helping make those connections between job seeker and employer and just seeing people be able to um change their their direction and move forward.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

Just getting the trajectory of their life changed, right? There you go, there you go. Love it. Thank you so much for joining us.

unknown 3:03

Welcome.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

All right, so we are gonna move on and we're gonna talk with uh Silsby Oaks Healthcare. Hey guys, how are y'all doing today?

SPEAKER_10 3:10

How are you?

SPEAKER_01 3:11

I'm gonna hand y'all our little tiny mic. Hey. So I'm gonna ask you real quick, just can you introduce yourself and tell us about your organization?

SPEAKER_02 3:18

Sure. My name is Lita, Lita Rolls, and I am human resource for Silsby Oaks Healthcare. And I'm Brooke Woodard, I do admissions and marketing. Awesome.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Nice to meet you.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

Um, Silsby Oaks is a nursing home for skilled or therapy stays as well as long-term care.

SPEAKER_01 3:39

Awesome. So for students who may not be familiar with your industry, what kinds of careers do you typically have available at Silsby Oaks? Obviously, you think nursing, right? Right. But what else is there even beyond that?

SPEAKER_02 3:51

Sure. So we have a maintenance team, we have a dietary team, we have a housekeeping and laundry team. So, you know, now, yes, the largest majority of our staff are nursing, whether they are actually licensed nurses or certified nurses aides. Um, and we also hire medication aides that are certified, which is not as common anymore in the nursing facilities. Um, but um we have several other people on our team. It's not just nursing staff that make up the whole.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

Awesome. And then what um when you're looking for potential employees or interns or anything like that, what qualities and skills typically stand out that you're looking for?

SPEAKER_02 4:37

So when I look for someone to become a member of our team, I look for someone who is personable. Um, not only do they need to be team players, um, but they also need to um know how to interact with our residents and their families. So they have to, you know, be someone that can find compassion. Yeah. Um that's and most of the time the people that come to us, they they have a calling of one sort or another to be a part of the team in healthcare, whether it's nursing or it's not.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

Yep. Awesome. Thank you so much, guys. All right, we are gonna move on over here uh to Boyshaven of Baalmont. So we're here to talking to Boyshaven, and then uh to get us just started real quick, can you introduce yourself and just tell us about the organization?

SPEAKER_12 5:34

Um my name is Patricia Flanas. I am the program director for Journey House, which is a program outside of Boyshaven or in Boyshaven. Um it's fairly new. It opened up about three years ago. Boyshaven has been around since 1945. Um, but now our transitional living facility is currently up and running. It's supposed to help those young men that are um in the transition phase from life. Um it started with us being able to see a need in the area for those that are aging out of foster care and not having anywhere to go. And so we try to teach life skills, um, try to teach just daily uh things that a lot of youth are not knowing how to do, including like checking oil, tires, stuff like that, um, ensuring that they know how to use proper proper etiquette with when it comes to interviewing, just different things in life. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

Okay well and then uh I'm gonna ask you this one too. What what do you think? Um what do you enjoy most about your job?

SPEAKER_12 6:36

I enjoy seeing the actual progress as they go through. Uh we've had a couple of young men that have succeeded and been able to change their life pretty much for the better. We've had three of them that have moved out of state. That's the choice that the goals that they made for themselves, and so being able to see them work towards that goal and have in mind and have the confidence to know that they can succeed on their own has been the most beneficial so far.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

That's awesome. Thank you so much for chatting with us.

SPEAKER_12 7:04

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

All right, we are gonna move on to our next booth, and we're again we're here at the Career Expo at uh Lamar State College Orange, and we're just uh talking with some of our different booths and partners that are here today. So we're moving on to Texas Health and Human Services. Good morning. How are you guys doing today?

SPEAKER_00 7:20

We're doing good, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

All right, um, so I got a little tiny mic here, so I'll pass it between y'all. But to get us started, can you introduce yourself and tell us what your organization's about?

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Yeah, uh, my name is Natalie Martinez, and I'm with the Texas Department of State Health Services, and I'm also here with uh my name is Arissa Hashem, I'm also with the Texas Department of State Health Services.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Awesome, nice to meet you guys.

SPEAKER_00 7:40

And then um I am with the immunizations department. Okay, and Romisa is with Community Health Services. Community Health Services.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

Okay, so why are y'all here today? What what what's the benefit for for this uh organization to be here today?

SPEAKER_04 7:52

All right, so we have a public health workforce pipeline, and we are promoting public health and how that looks like in different majors for students to explore that as a career option. And we also wanted to share with them that we have webinars that are available that anyone can access to learn more about what public health looks like with different focus areas.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

Awesome. So it's all about just continuing your education and continuing, you know, what what you can do in this area. So what do you uh what do you typically see as what what makes Southeast Texas a great place for this industry?

SPEAKER_00 8:20

I think there's a high need for public health professionals in this area because we have uh such a large city in the Houston, um, larger Houston area, as well as um the weather conditions. We see a lot of um like animal vector-borne diseases, we see a lot of um natural disasters. So we always need to be prepared for those kinds of emergencies. Um, we definitely need uh good public health professionals and good public health leaders.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

Awesome. Well, thank you guys so much for joining us. We appreciate you.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

So we're gonna move to uh Acadian Ambulances. So we're gonna talk with you guys today. We're gonna give you our little tiny mic. You get to hold on to him. Fantastic. So first let's start off, just introduce yourself, tell us what your organization is that you're representing.

SPEAKER_03 9:02

Sure. Um my name is Casey Sullivan Flood with Acadian Ambulance. I'm the recruiter.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

Robert Crane, Acadian Ambulance, and Operations Manager. Awesome. So for students who may not be familiar with your industry, what kinds of careers are available uh in this field?

SPEAKER_03 9:16

So we hire um EMTs, paramedics, uh, advanced EMTs. So what we do is we provide 911 and interfacility transport for um critically sick and injured uh and ill patients, and also transport from hospitals to higher level of care.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

Awesome. Okay. And then what typical traits do you find are are really good traits when you're hiring people to work for Acadian? What do you typically look for?

SPEAKER_03 9:44

So we obviously love anybody who already has certifications, that's always a bonus. So if you are a certified EMT basic or paramedic or advanced EMT, that's always great. But really, what we look for is somebody who is driven and somebody who wants to make a difference in their community. Um, because a lot of a lot of people really underestimate how important it is to like want to help your community in doing what we do on a day-to-day basis.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

So then what advice would you give to students that are entering the workforce? What do they need to what do they need to be prepared for?

SPEAKER_03 10:18

Um I would say really like just jump in. If you see something that you want to do, if you're interested in it, if if, for example, you've never thought about working on an ambulance before, but it's something that interests you, take a class, jump in, start, do the thing. Um, because you may find something that is is really, you know, the the best thing that you could have done and and really makes uh makes work fun for you.

SPEAKER_01 10:44

Yeah, it's almost like the the worst thing to do is just to sit there and not do anything, right? Correct. Because sometimes you just gotta jump in and see what it's like. Yeah. Right? You need to go find some people you have nothing in common with and be able to talk to them. That's a really true make yourself uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_03 11:00

Very true.

SPEAKER_01 11:01

I mean, there is something different about making yourself uncomfortable, practicing that skill of being able to talk to people.

SPEAKER_03 11:06

Because I mean, nothing about yeah, nothing about our job is comfortable, nothing about what we do is comfortable. You need to be really uncomfortable really comfortable being uncomfortable and really comfortable helping people who are having the worst day of their lives.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

1500 years old. Awesome. Well, let's let's flip that a little bit. What do you enjoy most about your job then?

SPEAKER_03 11:26

Um so for me, I've been doing this since 2004. Um, so I always say that I love that I will never have to wonder, like at the end of my career, at the end of my life, I never have to wonder if I made a difference in the world. I know with all of the patience that I've had, and even now and what I do and all the people whose careers I've helped start, um, that I've made a difference in somebody's life. And I think that that's really um there's something really good to be said for that.

SPEAKER_01 11:52

Okay, awesome. Thank you guys so much for participating. We appreciate it. We are gonna move on to the crisis center of Southeast Texas. Hello, how are you?

SPEAKER_06 12:01

How are you?

SPEAKER_01 12:02

I'm just gonna ask you, can you just give us a brief introduction of the Crisis Center, what you guys do, and what your industry is about?

SPEAKER_06 12:07

Yes, so we are a service where we help survivors of sexual assault, um, also people who experience suicidal ideations. We have a 24-hour hotline where people can call in and get help. Um when we help survivors, we go to the hospital, we go to law enforcement interviews, we do everything, we hold groups, um, and we stay with them throughout the whole process.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

Awesome. So when you're looking for people to work with the crisis center, what what traits do you typically find are the most beneficial from these people?

SPEAKER_06 12:44

Um someone who has empathy, um, someone who cares about helping people. Um and as far as the job goes, we have to have a uh bachelor's degree or at least three years experience in the field. Um that looks like a good place.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

Well, what do you love most about what you do?

SPEAKER_06 13:04

I am the education specialist and public speaker. So I love helping people in that way. I love and going and sharing messages about mental health.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

Awesome. I love it. Thank you so much for joining us.

SPEAKER_06 13:16

Yes, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

All right, we are gonna move on to our next booth uh and we're gonna talk with First Convenience Bank. So let's uh let's give me just a little bit of an overview. Where are you guys at? What do you do? Um, and then what what careers are typically available in this industry?

SPEAKER_08 13:34

All right, so we're first convenience bank. We're located inside of Walmart. Um we're mostly in Walmarts, Jovi's, HGB's, just depends on where you go. Um, but this particular branch, we're in Orange in the Walmart, and 90% of our job is based on sales. We like to greet customers, we like to talk to customers, um, make sure they're happy with their banking center and their banking needs. And if they're not, we would like to fulfill their needs.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

Awesome. So when you're looking for people to work uh within your industry, what do you typically see are some of the best traits that they have?

SPEAKER_08 14:05

Um, a very hard-working person, somebody that's very dedicated. Um, like I said, our job is mainly 90% of sales, so you always have to have a hustle.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 14:15

So you always have to hustle.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

Yep. And then uh both of you, you're a LCO grad, right? And then we haven't introduced you yet. What is your name?

SPEAKER_09 14:24

Hello, my name is Kayleigh.

SPEAKER_01 14:25

Kaylee, okay. And then did you say your name?

SPEAKER_09 14:26

Carolina.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

Okay. So uh you're an LSEO grad. And then you're actually a current student here at LSEO, correct? Yes, sir. Awesome. So what what did you feel like LSEO gave you um to be able to be in this industry and and to move forward in this career?

SPEAKER_08 14:42

Um, well, I actually went to school for accounting and business, so I feel like I'm in the right field. Um I do am finishing for entrepreneurship and all that, so I plan on taking this and taking it further, but as of accounting and everything else, I'm doing my job.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

Right, right. And so, what are you going to school for?

SPEAKER_09 15:02

I'm looking forward to becoming an OBGYN doctor. Um, the school definitely has a great system where all the faculties help you when needed. The classes are amazing, they actually teach you. And with my job, it helps me communicate better and present myself better when it comes to business and stuff.

SPEAKER_01 15:20

Awesome. Okay. Well, thank you guys so much for joining us today. Thank you. So, again, we are at the uh career expo here at Lamar State College Orange. So we're here with PNC Bank, and uh to get us started, can you guys introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your organization? You can hold our little tiny mic for us. Yeah, there we go.

SPEAKER_07 15:39

My name is Linda, I'm the branch manager at PNC Downtown Uncalder, and this is Ashley. She's one of my wonderful bankers there.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Awesome. Well, welcome to here. Glad you all were able to show up. Yeah, so of course. What are some um what are some traits that you typically find in your employees or your interns that that make them valuable for PNC Bank?

SPEAKER_07 15:58

I think one of the first things is the passion to help. The passion to help um clients um succeed in their life and their financial world. Um obviously great communication skills too. So a lot of what banks can do, and especially entry levels, can be taught, but you can't teach like great communication, the love of helping others, the eagerness, the being cultural, things of that nature.

SPEAKER_01 16:26

Awesome. And then what advice would you give to students who are maybe preparing to enter the workforce?

SPEAKER_07 16:32

Uh be prepared.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

Right.

SPEAKER_07 16:35

Definitely. You'd be surprised how many people come in unprepared for interviews, um, not looking the best that they could possibly come in, not improving on their communication in the interviews, uh, role play with someone in your interviews, do some research, find out what kind of questions they'll ask, and make sure that you're answering them honestly because we can see through it too.

SPEAKER_01 16:59

Awesome. And then what last one, what um what do you enjoy most about your jobs and what you do?

SPEAKER_07 17:06

The passion of helping others, watching their goals and watching their dreams come true, and then coming running back into you going, Linda, we did it, we did it, we did it. And they're just their excitement for the love of their goal being a college.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

Awesome. Well, thank you guys for joining us. We appreciate y'all.

SPEAKER_07 17:22

Of course, you have a good day.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

You too. All right, we are gonna walk over here to our last uh participant, and again, we're at Lamar State College of Orange. We're at the uh career expo just talking to some of our employers that are looking to hire interns and um some of our students, and then also just community members that are around the area. So we're here with Nature's Federal Credit Union, and we are going to be asking you guys a couple of questions. Uh, the first one to get us started can you introduce yourself and then tell us a little bit about your organization? I'm gonna give you this little tiny mic so you just hold that right there in front of you. There you go.

unknown 17:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 18:00

Hi, I'm Lisa Smith. I'm part of the HR team with Nature's Federal Credit Union. We're a local credit union here to serve our members' needs from day-to-day finances to lending. Our membership is open to anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in the communities we serve.

SPEAKER_01 18:16

Awesome. Thank you all for being here. Thank you. So for students who may not be familiar with your industry, what kinds of careers are available in your field?

SPEAKER_05 18:24

Yeah, absolutely. So we have a wide range of careers from tellers, member services, lending, marketing, community impact, accounting, training, HR and IT.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

It's like a whole little ecosystem within a company, right? Absolutely. I love it. So then when uh when you're looking for potential employees or interns, what qualities and skills typically stand out to you the most?

SPEAKER_05 18:44

Yeah, so um a career here at Nature's Title Credit Union, it's more than a job. It's a real, you know, we're looking for someone that make a real impact. So it means uh we're helping our members reach their financial goals and supporting communities we proudly serve in Southeast Texas. We're looking for future employees who are looking for someone to embrace the credit union philosophy of people helping people.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

I love it. I love it. People helping people, that's always one of my favorite quotes from a uh taglines for a credit union, too. Um what made you want to come and participate here at the Career Expo this year?

SPEAKER_05 19:17

Yeah, as a local credit union, we are here to support our communities and we're excited to be asked to be a part of this uh career if you're here.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

Awesome. And then what advice would you give to our students that are maybe looking to enter the workforce?

SPEAKER_05 19:28

Yeah, so just define your passion behind your position. So finding a purpose in a career gives meaning to what you do every day and helps bring um something bigger to your role.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

And so then last question: what makes Southeast Texas a great place to work in this industry?

SPEAKER_05 19:45

At Nature's Federal Credit Union, our roots are here in the community. We have our administration building in Port Nature's. We have three local high school branches, a Lamar University branch and seven full service branches. We're a growing organization for our current and our future employees. So there's lots of opportunities here to grow with us and stay local.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

Awesome. Well, thank you all so much for joining us at the Career Fair. We really appreciate y'all.

SPEAKER_05 20:07

Yes, thanks for having us. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:09

So that's a wrap out for us out here at the Career Fair at Lamar State College Orange Cheyenne Event Center. Uh, we usually host one of these each semester here on campus. So if you are looking for an opportunity to pursue a career in our industry, in our area, then a lot of these businesses are um are ready to serve you and ready to help. So anytime you see a career fair, if you're a student here or if you're a community member, make sure you uh uh attend one of these because you're gonna learn a lot of information from these different vendors that are here. Uh be sure to keep up with the latest Gator Bytes podcast episodes on the LSEO website, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. Thanks for tuning in, and we look forward to bringing you another conversation soon.