Charles City students host college and career fair

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Charles City High School students explored options for their future with a college and career fair held on Friday, Dec. 8.

Thirty-five employers and colleges set up in the high school gymnasium with informational handouts and promotional items as students browsed the possibilities.

“It’s been a really good day,” said agriculture teacher Bret Spurgin. “Kids are really getting in there and learning a lot.”

A student-led effort, the organization of the career fair was spearheaded by FFA, DECA, and Ag Business students who were responsible for reaching out to businesses and colleges, managing the venue, and setting the schedule for the waves of participating students.

“They did it all,” said Spurgin. “Everything was student driven.”

To encourage their peers to participate in the career fair, the student organizers even set up a bingo card that exhibitors could stamp, qualifying the students for a chance at a variety of prizes.

“Once we said we had a TV they got pretty excited,” said Spurgin.

With a line-up of representatives from NIACC, Floyd County Medical Center, Hy-Vee, Cedar Valley Auction, Cambrex, Valero Renewables, and more, the gymnasium was filled with potential career paths for the students to consider, whether they were freshmen just starting to think about their future or seniors in the midst of their post-graduation planning.

“We learned a lot about different colleges and different fields,” said Keenen Wiley, a senior who is planning on a future in college sports, But said that the career fair introduced him to other potential opportunities as well.

Reception to the career fair was positive by both students and exhibitors alike.

“They’ve been very respectful,” said Lisa Brandau, a CPA with Murphy, Coe & Smith. “They listen to you before they start grabbing stuff off the table.”

“The students that put it on did a really good job organizing it,” said Tad Barry, an HR representative with Zoetis who spent the day informing students about entry level positions and summer work with the company.

This is the first time that the school has put on an event like this, which made the student organizers nervous about how everything would turn out and how they could create something that future classes could build on next year.

“It’s a real process,” said senior Claire Girkin, one of the event organizers. “It was a lot of behinds the scenes work, but it really paid off today.”