Sixty colleges, 10 industries and every branch of the military are invited to Kingwood Park in hopes of helping guide high school juniors on a path that will determine the rest of their lives. Juniors rotated between stations on Feb. 2 in the annual College & Career Day.
A college fair was held in the gym where students could see what opportunities were available after high school. The schools ranged from trade schools to four-year universities across the country.
“It gives me a wider range of things that I can do that interest me after school,” junior Cayden Macmath said. “It definitely gave me more ideas and even colleges to think about and go to.”
Military recruiters were stationed throughout the building and especially represented in the Performing Arts Center, where students got insight into how they could gain scholarships for each branch through grades and JROTC.
A rotation also focused on ways to apply for jobs and what employers look for to help students upgrade their resumes as they prepare for college applications.
There was also a rotation with employees from shipping industries, logistics and flight school. They talked about their jobs that are in demand in this area, helping give students ideas of what they could focus on after they earn their college degrees.
“A room I liked was where they talked about maritime trade and they talked about logistics,” junior Marin Tippy said. “As someone who doesn’t really know what they want to do but wants to go into the business kind of realm or world, I thought that was very interesting.”
The fourth-annual event was organized by college and career day coordinator Hazelanne Prescott. She has already started planning for next year, asking the colleges in attendance to return. In January, however, is where the planning really starts to come together as Prescott seeks out a variety of professionals in a diverse field of careers to speak on panels.
Superintendent Dr. Roger Brown even visited to show his support for the opportunity Prescott organized for the juniors. He said he hoped students took advantage of everything offered.
“The world is open to explore whatever is of interest to you, and there’s jobs in those fields,” Dr. Brown said. “But you’ve got to prepare yourself. And that’s what I hope you find, and you learn today as the individuals from different careers and universities visit with you. You’ve got to prepare, you’ve got to prepare now.
“You think, ‘Oh, it’s just another day in high school.’ Well, no, what you’re doing today, and tomorrow really is setting that foundation for what you’re gonna do after you leave.”
