Our future is in good hands
I was encouraged this week by the next generation of leaders this community is producing.
Wednesday, Lakeside Middle School held its annual LMS Career Fair where business and industry leaders from across Central Arkansas spend two hours of their day answering questions about their careers, and the education and skills it takes to pursue those careers.
The purpose, according to seventh-grade teacher and fair organizer Melissa Ellis, is not only to prepare students for a career development class they will take as eighth-graders but also to help them choose appropriate college-level courses throughout high school for their career interests.
One might think, this late in the school year with only a week and a half left before summer break, that students would be less than enthusiastic about asking questions and thinking ahead to what education or training they’re going to need to get their dream job.
Not this group of kids.
One seventh-grader, Elizabeth Cowen, said the fair “made a very big impact” on her classmates in planning for their futures. She added it “gave students a realistic view (of) what professionals do.”
Teacher Paul Blissit commended the community for taking time out of their busy days to help educate students.
“It’s great that the community came out and helped inspire our students,” he said.
The students I got to speak with asked great questions about newspapers and communication and were very interested in print journalism. Many had interests in pursuing writing careers, while others were focused on photography and design, all aspects of putting together a publication.
Many of their questions revolved around how the newspaper determines if something is newsworthy, and how things are prioritized for placement on the page and scheduling throughout the week.
Students were eager to learn what the pros and cons are in a career in journalism, to which they understood that not all news is “positive” and what people want to read, but it’s a journalist’s job to keep the public informed.
Thirty presenters spoke with students in various fields, and many, like Mandy Golleher, human resources director for National Park Medical Center, said they were impressed with the students’ genuine interest in available careers.
“I was also excited about the number of students who were interested in careers in health care fields,” she said.
Mary Zunick, cultural affairs manager for Visit Hot Springs and executive director of the Hot Springs Sister City program, said the students asked great questions about the programs sponsored by the organizations she works with.
“Many were familiar with the Sister City visitors that come to their school each year and excited about going to Japan or taking Japanese as they get older,” she said, adding that many asked about the degrees and training needed for a career similar to hers.
Having participated in the event in 2017, Zunick said the students also asked more about the requirement for advanced degrees than previous years.
Pam Castleberry, grant specialist with National Park College, spoke with students on behalf of the Innovative Technologies Center and said many were interested in entrepreneurship and careers in technology.
“One student, in particular, said he likes to doodle ideas right now on paper, said he had a vision of things he could create, he was just unsure how to get his thoughts from paper to reality,” she said. “We talked in depth about how 3D printing/modeling would help him turn his ideas into a tangible product, that could lead to a business for him.”
Students Castleberry talked to were also interested in skilled trades and apprenticeship programs, and many “were unaware that these types of jobs were there and that they did not have to have a traditional college education for some of the skilled trades.”
Overall from the professionals I presented alongside, it was clear to us this group of students is taking a serious interest in their futures. Their generation will be our leaders someday, and it seems as if our community will be in good hands.