While college counselors expose juniors to different colleges, middle school counselors opened junior high (JH) students’ eyes to different career paths during the JH Career Fair. Hosted Dec. 4 in the gymateria, the fourteenth annual JH Career Fair showcased 40 professionals who volunteered their time to talk about their respective professions.
In order to prepare for the two-period event, guidance counselors Mrs. Robin Behar and Mrs. Tamara Stein reached out to parents via letter asking for volunteers. Professionals from the community also volunteered their time after hearing of the event from word-of-mouth.
At the Career Fair, JH students had the opportunity to discover different career options, which Mrs. Stein enjoyed watching.
“My favorite part about the Career Fair is seeing how excited the students are to learn about all the different professions,” Mrs. Stein said. “This is one of the first steps in helping our junior high students find their own personal career path.”
Professionals ranged from attorneys to veterinarians, with each hosting their own booths of information and goodies. “All the booths attracted a lot of attention, but I observed a lot of students at the surgical oncologist table,” Mrs. Stein said. “The students also loved the meteorologist display.”
Many booths included demonstrations that intrigued students. At the surgical oncologist table, students watched as Dr. Aeisha Rivers practiced surgical stitching. Meteorologist Xeujin Zhang exhibited model storm formations and explained how it mirrored the weather outside. Firefighters demonstrated their ability to dress in their gear quickly, something that captured eighth grader Gregory Thomas’s attention.
“My favorite part was seeing the firefighters get ready in under a minute and thirty seconds,” Thomas said, “but I also liked seeing lots of jobs, since they’re something we can look forward to in the future.”
While future careers may not rank highly on JH students’ minds as, for example, high school in one or two years, the JH Career Fair planted the seeds of different options in students’ minds. “It’s important for them to see that there are a lot of different options, a lot of different careers out theme,” seventh grade Life Science teacher Mrs. Jennifer Page said. “Through this, they can start to find how their talents match careers they can pursue later in life.”
(Photos by Kristen Quesada)