Opinion • Senior Send-Off Pages 5-6
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Study Abroad Diaries Page 8
Sports • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2026
FAIRFIELDMIRROR.COM
INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Fairfield Meditz Seniors Reflect on Job Market By BRENNA BELASCO Associate News Editor
As graduation approaches, seniors at Fairfield University are feeling the pressure of the job search. However, despite the relief and reassurance that accompany being hired early, those without jobs are not out of luck or out of time. Carolyn Montrose, the Associate Director of Career Development at the Dolan Career Developm e n t C enter, said that the most common struggle she observes within the senior population is their lack of understanding of recruitment timelines. “Many students see peers announcing jobs on LinkedIn in the fall and assume they are behind, when in reality, hiring
cycles vary by industry,” she said. “That gap between what students see on social media and where they are in their own search can erode confidence at exactly the moment they need it most.” She explained that hiring times differ by major and industry, with finance and accounting wrapping up their recruiting early while the managing and marketing fields’
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hiring pools are open longer, into the spring and summer months. This same principle applies to majors in the Meditz College, with postgrad opportunities more abundant for those in health studies and human services, as opposed to communication majors. Students in these areas of study often encounter more difficulties because of the differing rec r u itment timelines. Maggie McGinley, a senior communication major, says that “Applications [for communication] open a lot later, and there is a wider spectrum of jobs that fit into my interests [I’m] not pigeon-holed into one area.” Despite repeatedly not receiving positive responses, she believes that everything will “...fall into place.” On the other hand, senior Hailey Toles, majoring in sports Post-grad jobs continues on page 3
“THERE’S NO EASY ANSWER”
New Housing Development Pressures to Reshape Downtown Fairfield By SCARLETT SEHRT Contributing Writer
On a typical morning at Catch a Healthy Habit Café, the rhythm feels familiar. Regulars order smoothies, conversations move between tables, and people settle in to work or chat with friends. For owner Glen Colello, that routine has been part of daily life since he and his wife opened the café in 2009. In a few weeks, that Contributed by Scarlett Sehrt routine will come to an Visual renderings of 15 Unquowa Rd., a new housing development in downtown Fairfield. Construction of end. Colello is one of sev- the apartment building has forced multiple local business to relocate. eral small business owners in downtown Fairfield who have been told will go next,” with the word “closed” written go, facing the possibility of closing if they they must relocate or close. The buildings across the center in marker. Another nearby cannot find a space in time. on Unquowa Road are set to be replaced by a space sits empty, with a small handwritten For Colello, the shift is not just about 50 unit apartment complex that will include note directing customers to a new address on moving buildings. Over the years, his café eight affordable units and retail space on the Sherman Street. Inside, the floors are bare. has become a place people depend on. When ground floor. The former active storefronts now feel tem- it first opened, it offered more than food. The For many locals that change feels sud- porary, in between what they were and what business hosted classes, lectures, and events den. In reality, it has been building for years, they will become. focused on health and wellness, bringing slowly moving through legal challenges, people together in a way that has extended town resistance, and state approval. A Community Facing Displacement beyond a typical café setting. “This project has been brewing since Catch a Healthy Habit Café is not the “We weren’t just serving food,” he said. 2017,” Colello said, describing a long process only business affected. Las Vetas Lounge, a “We were building something for the comthat included multiple denials from the town longtime favorite among both locals and col- munity.” before the development ultimately moved lege students, and several other small shops That kind of space is difficult to recreforward at the state level. have all been given deadlines to leave, forcing ate. Small businesses like these often act as What once felt like a distant possibility owners to make quick decisions about what informal gathering places where people build has now become a firm deadline. comes next. routines and relationships. For a business to The shift is already visible on storefront Some have already secured new loca- maintain a community like that following windows. At one shop, a printed sign taped tions, often after weeks of searching. Others to the glass reads “Follow us to see where we are still trying to figure out where they will Downtown continues on page 2
A Message from the Incoming Editor-in-Chief By SOPHIA COSSITT-LEVY Incoming Editor-in-Chief
As my semester abroad in Florence, Italy comes to an end, there’s one thing in particular that I’m looking forward to when I return to campus in the fall semester: stepping in as Editor-in-Chief for the Mirror. I started at the Mirror as a first-year student, and I began as a Staff Writer. From there, I became an Assistant News Editor, then Head News Editor, and my most recent role was Copy Editor. I’ve learned so much from these roles, and each lesson I’ve learned will serve me well during my time as Editor-in-Chief. Though I can speak at great lengths about each role I’ve held and what they’ve meant to me, I think the most meaningful part of the Mirror has been the friends I’ve made along the way and the support I’ve received from others on staff. I often joke that I live in the Mirror office. If I’m not in my townhouse or in class, you’ll probably find me there, sitting in a comfy chair by the news desk that Liv, our current Head News Editor, and I decorated with Erica, an Assistant News Editor that graduated in 2025. In the office, you can find me editing articles, helping with layouts, doing homework for other classes or most likely, yapping with my friends on staff, making plans for upcoming issues, discussing new episodes of “Heated Rivalry” or, in one very specific instance, acting out my experience on a flight home from an academic conference. Shoutout to Danny and Brenna for listening the whole time. As we publish our last issue of this academic year, I’d like to thank our graduating seniors, Kathleen Morris, Julian Nazario, Danny McElroy and Sophia Haber Brock for teaching me everything they know about journalism and for being one of my favorite parts of the Mirror. I wish the four of you the best of luck with your graduation and everything after. As the 2026-2027 academic year approaches, I look forward to welcoming new staff members and helping them find their place and their people at the Mirror.
Sophia Cossitt-Levy/The Mirror