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Second-annual career fair challenges students

Second-annual career fair challenges students

Article by Colton Swaim and Cale Adams

Keith Nagy, eighth-grader, designed a few projects for his occupation as a budget analyst for the second-annual career fair. The projects included a day-in-the-life paper, brochure, and trifold. He designed the brochure and trifold with his group. He then put on a suit and presented his career to sixth-graders and parents on March 13 in the high school old gym.

He explained his favorite part of designing his group project.

“I enjoyed the brochure because compiling information is one of my strengths,” Nagy said.

Nagy also stated his outlook for certain jobs.

“I gave the financial industry a second look,” Nagy stated. 

Claire Austin was a veterinarian. She shared how she felt about pursuing this career.

“I would enjoy it, but there would be other careers I am interested in including an author and joining the Peace Corp,” Austin said.

Olivia English’s career was a fashion designer. She explained how she struggled during the project.

“Finding the career that suited my personality because the ‘art’ cluster was not my strength,” English stated.

She also explained her favorite part of the career fair.

“I really enjoyed the trifold because it is where we could be creative with the project,” English explained.

Carol Blackburn, junior high English and language arts teacher, created the career fair last year. Blackburn explained how she plans to improve the career fair.

“We will probably eliminate the day-in-the-life paper because (the students) didn't feel like it was helpful. We will have improved interview processes. We will practice more interviews so they can do that more effectively, and then we are also going to work on Skyping with our interviewees for next year,” she said.

She also stated how the career fair benefits the students.

“It helps them with speaking, writing, researching, and making them aware of different career paths they can take,” Blackburn said.

Blackburn explained how she enjoyed watching students grow during the career fair process.

“Without a doubt, I enjoy watching the students create their presentations. From the beginning to the end, I can see the transformation of knowledge as it applies to different components of the project. The trifold made this year shared individual student personalities. One can see the enthusiasm and feel the energy in a unique way.

“Another favorite part of this entire project is that it simulates the real world: people working together, meeting deadlines, creating drafts, revising, editing, communicating, discussing and presenting. So many jobs in our lives will ask us to do exactly these things. To watch these students grow in this process is a miracle in itself. I want to find more multi-components projects that will encourage learning these types of life skills,” she said.