Hundreds of students looking to land internship positions attended NIU’s Internship Career Fair on Wednesday at the Convocation Center.

Fair coordinator Mireya Pourchot said 69 employers registered for the event. About 1,000 to 1,200 students were expected to attend.

Organizations ranging from Allstate Insurance to the Marine Corps set up booths at the event.

“I want to build a foundation for my career,” said David Collins, a junior corporate communication major.

Collins said he was applying for a management trainee internship at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, where he’s worked his way up from a carporter.

Captain Jose DeLeon was looking for qualified men and women to join the Marine Officer Candidate School, where students train for positions such as jet pilots and ground officers.

“There, we’ll test them and see if they have what it takes,” DeLeon said.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of DeKalb County also attended the fair and offered several internships ranging from social services to mentoring.

While education majors were preferred for social service programs, other internships for activities such as Bowl for Kids’ Sake are open to everyone, representative Anne Marie Winikates said.

Many businesses drew long lines.

Burke Beverage Inc., a distributor for alcoholic beverage companies, attracted applicants with a neon Miller Lite sign.

“We’ve had real good success in the past with NIU students,” said Pat Deinhammer, a Burke Beverage representative and NIU alumnus. “I’m a vet of the program myself.”

NIU is the only school Burke recruits interns from, Deinhammer said.

Companies such as IBM drew students looking for careers in information technology.

“I’m looking for anything related to IT and computer science,” said Milind Shah, a senior computer science major.

Interviews can be tough with heavy competition, Shah said.

“I get so nervous when I’m talking to these people. Nobody really [talks about] their GPA unless it’s a 4.0,” he said.