Second Year of College and Career Fair Creates Excitement Throughout the School

By Alice Kauffman (9)
alice.kauffman@fwcsstudents.org

March 23, 2023

This is the second year that South Side High School has held a College and Careers Fair. It specialized in attracting juniors and seniors, but the younger students as well. It was held in Gym 1 and Gym 2, throughout the entire day. 

Juniors and seniors, the time is coming for you to decide what the next step in your life will be. For grades nine and ten, it’s never too early to start the search. Teachers and administrators have worked excruciatingly hard to help you discover what path you’re taking. A huge part of this is exposing students to an abundance of different jobs and educational opportunities. 

Inside the fair was several different businesses and clubs, as well as college programs and communities. Booths were scattered around both gyms, while some had interactive activities, others had chaperones and employees giving out incentives and giving information about what they offer.

“I started it last year, because I was increasingly frustrated with the limited number of our students that were exposed to career options in the state of Indiana. I talked to North Side High School because they had been having one for a number of years, and they gave me the excel sheet with all of their contacts. The first year we had 42-43 vendors. It went so well, and we decided that we would focus more on expansion this year. I contacted our Gear-Up coordinator who was in charge of the college fair on the PFW campus, and she gave me all of her contacts. We were able to expand it to like 64 vendors,” says 11th Grade Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Sheila Leonard.

There were students playing with robots, hearing about the Robotics Club, and kids doing push-ups while being mesmerized by military workers speaking on different positions at branches. Everyone was drawn to things that interest them, and were educated about things they might grow into during the future.

Certain advisors at the booths, such as the Jet Access booth, were telling upperclassmen about the type of workers they’re looking for when at schools. 

“We look for people with great personalities, we really do have a good culture in our company. It’s family based, and we look for individuals who are team players,” says Career Advisor Jessica Elliott. This company was on the hunt for those of you who are mature, and are interested in air travel. Each business has one thing in common, they all yearn for people with a great work ethic.

“We do have our student program, where students come in and learn how to fly planes,” adds Elliott. All of these organizations are really good about training younger people, and preparing them for a lifelong career. 

For those of you who don’t have an interest in aviation and mechanics, there are some other hands-on career paths that were shown. 

“We are a retirement community, offering services to the elderly. We offer care, housekeeping, basically everything. We talk about our seating program, we offer free classes, and we want students to pursue a career in nursing. We also offer free Q&A classes,” said The Towne House Team Leader, Angelica.

Several of the companies that had booths at this year’s fair offered free Q&A classes. This is one of the most helpful things when it comes to getting ready for the future. 

Everyone had great feedback on this event. Students learned a lot about their options in the city, and what they wanted for their jobs later on. It had freshmen sparking up conversations about internships, and seniors excited for their college experience.

“Students are all over the place on terms of their future. When you think about our population, some are just trying to survive the day. Then you have others that are more goal oriented. Some are this way because they know it's the best way to fix their situation,” Leonard said. 

No matter what your circumstances at the time are, planning for the future never hurts. These fairs aren’t meant to decide every aspect of your life, rather, they can guide you to pick things you’re interested in. Next year, they’re hoping to expand the fair even more. This will hopefully include more colleges, companies, and groups to visit and engage with.

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