Among the many things that worry teenagers, perhaps the most common is what they are going to do after high school. Though some teenagers know for sure what their path will look like after graduation, many still have no idea what they want to do with their lives. Luckily, there are many resources available to offer students some guidance and make the transition from high school to the adult world a little less scary. 

Organized by the Career Center, the Career Fair on October 28th, during lunch gave students the opportunity to explore various careers and gain a better understanding of their options after high school. 

“Our students, especially our seniors, are concerned with what they’re going to do after high school,” work experience coordinator Lorenzo Barranco said. “Some of them don’t want to go to college, they just know that’s not the career pathway for them, so I’m hoping to get more of our students involved in those blue collar jobs that offer sustainable incomes and positive outlooks on the future.” 

The event was coordinated mainly to introduce seniors to potential careers, but was open to all students so that they could benefit from the exposure to different career pathways such as civic careers, education, and community college. 

The quad was filled with students engaged at booths, asking questions and learning more about the opportunities in front of them. Crowds surrounded the booths, making it difficult to see the names of the organizations. 

Alongside essential information, booths offered pamphlets and free items to students who came out to their tables. “I think it’s very beneficial because everyone gets to explore different options and take advantage of different options they have,” senior Emma Mendoza said. 

Students agreed they would like another Career Fair. They felt it was insightful and they would definitely benefit from a larger variety of booths and exposure to even more options.”It’s pretty nice so far, “ junior Daniella Garcia said. “It’s nice seeing all the stuff to check out after high school, and the free stuff too.” 

Likewise, many booths felt that students were engaged and showed a lot of interest. Out of sixteen organizations that agreed to come, thirteen showed up. “I’m happy students are coming in and asking questions,” Everyone’s Harvest, outreach manager Alejandro Hernández said. The organization is focused on delivering healthy and affordable fruits and vegetables to the community. 

The Career Fair was part of a larger plan to foster an environment in which students would feel comfortable asking questions and figuring out what interests them. “It’s a culture of student involvement that we’re trying to create,” Barranco said. “Being that this one was our first one this school year, I was quite satisfied.” 

Making sure that the needs of all students were met and that everyone got the chance to explore the booths and discover potential career pathways, the fair held a session earlier in the day primarily for Spanish speaking students. 

“In the morning, we invited those folks to target students, such as English-Language learners in smaller groups,“ Barranco said. “So that they could have a smaller intimate setting to ask more questions that they probably wouldn’t have an opportunity out there in the quad with folks moving around, they wouldn’t feel as confident.” 

So what does the future hold for career exposure at school? Fortunately for students, there seems to be interest in more organizations coming to the school to showcase their opportunities and allow for networking between themselves and interested students. In fact, Barranco is organizing another Career Fair next month. “A lot of organizations have reached out – Cal Fire, PG&E – and said that they’d like to come out here and reach out,” Barranco said.