BGSU hosts job fair

SANDUSKY — From future hotel owners to roller-coaster enthusiasts, the Bowling Green State University campus in Sandusky has it all. Junior and senior students studying resort and attraction management in Sandusky get the best of both worlds — half of the year in the classroom and the other half working at Cedar Point. The school hosted a career fair for its students Friday, giving them a chance to see what kind of jobs are out there. And there was a good turnout by both the students and companies. The in-person career fair was in the morning, followed by a virtual career fair in the afternoon. On hand were: • Akron Zoological Park • American Hospitality Talent Acquisition • Boardwalk Family of Restaurants • Catawba Island Club • Cedar Fair • Great Ohio Lodges • Great Wolf Lodge • Hastings Water Works • Herschend Enterprises • Hershey Entertainment & Resorts • Hilton Cleveland Downtown • Kalahari Resorts & Conventions • Kaman's Art Shoppes • Knoebels Amusement Resort • Lakeside Association • Northgate Resorts • Ohio Department of Natural Resources • Orchard of Catawba Island • Quarry Hill Orchards • Raising Cane's • Sandusky Yacht Club • Saucy Brew Works • Shores & Islands Ohio • Six Flags Great America • Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce • Toledo Zoo & Aquarium Among the career opportunities with a degree are theme and amusement park managers, event coordinators, resort and hotel operators, food and beverage managers, guest relations manager, tourism directors and more. "This is the second annual career fair," said Swathi Ravichandran, Cedar Fair Resort and Attraction Management professor and founding director. "They are looking for talent. They are looking for students who are passionate. We have companies from here and around the country." There are about 85 students in the program and "they all live in the Sandusky area. It's a brand-new building and we are happy to be here. All of our classes are held in downtown Sandusky." The pre-majors in the program, she said, attend classes in Bowling Green or at the BGSU Firelands campus. The program has graduated two classes and "We will be inviting our third junior class in," she said. "We just keep rolling out students." How about being in the middle of the resurgence of Sandusky? "This is just a tourist economy," Ravichandran said. "For people that are local to the area who are interested in working in this industry they don't have to go far. It is right here and they get a great degree. ... We are the only program of this kind in the country. "About half of our students are not from Ohio. They are from everywhere else. From California, Florida, Texas, Minnesota, you name it. We are fortunate to be really accessible for the local students but also attractive for people who are looking for careers in this field because they have nowhere else to go — we are the only program of its kind." For Mark Adkins, getting a degree this spring will be the start of a new career. Adkins, 62, is a 1979 graduate of Vermilion High School. After graduating from BGSU in 1983, he headed to California where he spent most of his adult life. Between the market crash in 2008 and COVID, Adkins decided it was time to come back home. "Moved to California for 30-some years," he said. "I came back here just to mix things up." What's it like being with all of these people a third of his age? "I forget I am not their age," he said. "I just like to think like a kid. I can also give them some life lessons. Get a job you want to do. It might not work out but just go in that direction. Live life young ... that is what is going to be on my gravestone. You have to do it when you have the energy before the kids come and the family comes." What next after getting that degree? "Enjoy life and see what happens," Adkins said.