While many other seniors will soon be donning suits to begin their careers after graduation, Catie Star will be heading to work in flip-flops and a hoodie.

That's because Star (senior-recreation, park and tourism management) will be working as an assistant merchandiser for Abercrombie & Fitch at their headquarters near Columbus, Ohio.

Her job will include a wide range of leadership and management responsibilities throughout the process of product development, she said.

"My job is to manage from the sketch to the finished project," she said.

According to the National Survey of Colleges and Employers, the average salary for entry-level, trainee positions in management this year is $41,894.

This job wasn't something she had planned on, Star said. She began her college career with the intent of going into event planning and applied for a wide range of jobs during her job search.

"I kind of went all out from Teach for America, to this and lots of other things," she said.

She found the job on Nittany Lion Recruiting, and seeing that no major was specified, she submitted her resume in November.

Nittany Lion Recruiting is a campus program that connects employers with students, said Catherine Dufour, associate director of recruiting and employer relations with career services. Companies post jobs, students submit rsumes and those selected by the company have interviews held in the MBNA Career Center, she said.

Typically, large companies that are looking for hundreds of employees participate in the program, she said.

"The on-campus interviewing part of [Nittany Lion Recruiting] tends to be more business, engineering, science and technical type opportunities," she said.

However, companies looking to fill retail, marketing and management training positions also participate, looking for students with a broad range of skills whom they can train, she said.

"They're looking more for a core set of skills -- the leadership, the teamwork, the communication skills, both written and verbal, the interpersonal skills -- and they can train people on the business procedure," she said.

Star said the management experience she gained as a Homecoming overall and in positions in her sorority were strong parts of her resumé because they helped her learn to work with different people and on deadlines, which was what she felt Abercrombie & Fitch was looking for.

Dufour agreed that experience outside the classroom is important to employers, and studies show that academics are not their top priority.

"Students with average GPA's that have multiple leadership experiences, internship experience or co-op experience get interviews," she said.

However, her in-class work will also pay off, Star said.

"A lot of the skills I've learned in my classes are going to help me when I get there," she said.

Rosemarie Hibbler, an academic adviser in the department of recreation, park and tourism management, said students like Star who are in the commercial option of the major take courses in areas including business, marketing, leadership and management. Graduates often work in sports management, at theme parks, cruise lines and ski resorts.

"[Students] get a lot of choices," she said. "The major is open so you can tailor it towards what you're interested in."

The Penn State curriculum for recreation, park and tourism management was first offered in 1946. It is one of the oldest and most respected programs in the country, Hibbler said. A total of 430 students are currently enrolled in the program, she said.

Soon after she applied, Star said she was invited to the MBNA Career Center for an interview. She flew to Columbus in January and received the job offer in February. The job will begin in June with a six-week training program, she said.

Though she received other offers, Star said she chose to work for Abercrombie & Fitch because of the enthusiasm she felt when she visited and the amount of responsibility she will be given, she said.

It's also rewarding work, she said.

"To be able to look in the store and say I helped with that, that is pretty powerful," she said.

As far as her future after Abercrombie & Fitch, Star said she is uncertain.

"I hope to be with them for a while," she said. "I think with the amount of experience I'm going to get, I'm going to fall in love with fashion."