Donovan Powell ’26 experienced a full-circle moment standing in front of the DHL Supply Chain table at the Big Red Career Expo on Sept. 17, 2026.
Two years ago, Powell was one of more than 400 students networking with employers, graduate schools, and alumni at the biannual campus-wide event The data analytics and mathematics double major spoke with DHL representatives, a meeting that led to a summer internship in 2025 and, after graduation, a full-time job as a data visualization specialist.
Powell was thrilled to be back on The Hill, talking with students about opportunities within his company. He was one of more than 60 Denison alumni inside the Mitchell Center Fieldhouse helping students prepare for their careers.
“I’ve benefited from so many opportunities afforded to me by employers and alums who came to campus,” Powell said. “I really loved my time at Denison. So I feel like this is a good way for me to help give other students the opportunities I received here.”
Big Red Career Expo, which last year was moved to the fieldhouse to accommodate increased student interest and employer participation, reflects Denison’s growing reputation as the nation’s premier liberal arts college for career preparation. In the most recent college rankings from U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, the university received high marks for career services and internship opportunities.
A record 548 students attended the fall career expo, where they had the chance to meet with 62 employers, 13 grad schools and more than 200 professional guests.
Participating employers included Google, Oracle, JPMorgan Chase, Morningstar Inc., Warner Bros. Discovery, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Battelle, Nationwide Insurance, Ford, as well as emerging organizations.
Thirty-five employers had at least one alum or parent of an alum representing a company.
“The growth has been incredible,” said Melanie Murphy, executive director of the Knowlton Center for Career Exploration. “I think events like this work at Denison because it’s such a relational place. Alums want to come back and meet students — that’s the Denison way.”
Michael Benzie ’94, a senior director of content at Warner Bros. Discover, attended the event for a second consecutive year. He’s not part of the company’s career development department but recognizes his alma mater has a reputation for molding career-ready students.
Michael Benzie ’94, a senior director of content at Warner Bros. Discover, speaks with students at the Big Red Career Expo.
A year ago, Benzie met with Doran Yustein ’26 and thought the data analytics major would be a good fit for Warner Bros. Discovery. Yustein is now a digital producer for the company’s product and content team.
“I like the recruiting aspect of this event,” Benzie said. “I’ll meet with students, look at their resumes and see where their strengths might be. Warner Bros. Discovery is a big company, and there might be a unit where I can direct them.”
Students not only connected with employers and alums at the 2026 expo but had the chance to meet with Denison peers who worked internships in the summer of 2026. Seated at designated tables, the interns shared stories of how they landed their roles, the projects they worked on, and advice for students looking for summer internships in 2027.
Unlike some universities, Denison does not charge for its career expos. As the fieldhouse filled with students, Powell spoke of the event’s low-pressure environment.
“You’re on a college campus, you’re among friends, and it’s not an interview,” Powell said. “It’s good practice just getting out and talking to people in a professional manner about your career ambitions.”
The Big Red Career Expo featured only one career community when it began in the spring of 2024: social impact, education and government, represented by 15 companies. More than 100 students flocked to The Nest on the third floor of Slayter Hall for that inaugural event.
“We knew right then there was an appetite for this,” said Jessica Hall, who, along with Jodi Pavol, serves as a director of industry partnerships. “It was such a huge turnout for a niche area of employers, and we knew we could build from that first event.”
Hall and Pavol reach out to Denison’s vast network of professional contacts and alumni, receiving commitments to attend future events. Since its inception, the expo has seen a 261% growth in participating organizations.
The university separates the biannual events by career communities. The fall events are geared toward financial services, consulting business, technology, data science, marketing, sales, and communications, because these industries tend to have earlier hiring timelines. The spring expo targets visual, written, and performing arts, healthcare, clinical research and wellness, social impact, education, and government.
“We tell employers when you come to Denison, you’re not going to experience a typical career fair,” Hall said. “You’re going to speak with students from all class years who have strong communication skills and genuinely appreciate you taking the time to come to our campus.”
