şŁ˝ÇÂŰĚł

Information Tools

Student group's startup career fair attracts 200

By Melanie Strom Wednesday, May 13, 2026

A young woman shakes the hand of a man seated at a table in a crowded room.The  recently hosted a startup career fair. With a turnout of around 200 students and 11 startups, conversation among employers and students could be heard echoing outside the HUB’s Lyceum. 

The Association of Information Management Students, or AIMS, advocates for student interests and promotes leadership by strengthening the bond between information, technology and people. 

AIMS President Elisheba Choppala has been leading AIMS for the past year. Two fellow AIMS leaders, Moniyat Chowdhury and Vedica Bafna, worked with Choppala to plan the fair. Bafna connected the team to MeeBoss, a local hiring platform that played a large role in the April 21 event. 

Choppala met with MeeBoss founder Forrest Fisher and Startup Community Director Craig Rabin, who  invited Choppala, Chowdhury and Banfa to volunteer at MeeBoss’ hiring fest. “They were so encouraging,” Choppala said. “We were able to take back that experience and use it in planning our career fair.”

During the planning stages, Chowdhury and Choppala reached out to numerous startups to inquire about attending the event. One connection led to many more, including a connection to Agastya Mongia from the Foster School of Business’s Lavin Entrepreneurship Program.

A young man gestures while speaking to a company representative.Choppala described the hopefulness of the planning team. “With everyone’s excitement and optimism, we started to believe we could actually do this.”

AIMS, the Lavin Entrepreneurship Program and the Allen School collaborated to bring the event together.

Mongia, Choppala, Chowdhury and Bafna gave opening remarks during the event, including introducing the first of three panels: “The Startup Experience: Working Around the Startup Ecosystem & What Drives Entrepreneurial Success.” 

The panel featured Chris Rimple, a professional speaker and guest lecturer at the Information School, and Terri Eccles, a change and transformation strategist and guest iSchool faculty member. 

Lines from each of the company booths stretched across the room almost immediately. “I am very encouraged by today’s turnout,” Choppola said. She explained that the career fair was the first large-scale event AIMS has hosted. “I hope to pass on the legacy to next year’s board.”