MVHS Students Attend College/Career Fair

By MAGGIE MCMURRAY

Moapa Valley Progress

Over 400 students learned more about future college and career opportunities last week at the 2nd annual Mesquite Works College and Career Fair held at Virgin Valley High School.

In conjunction with VVHS, Mesquite Works invited ten college and twenty-five career representatives to set up booths in the high school gym to help educate students on the various opportunities available to them after graduation. Students from Moapa Valley, Virgin Valley and Beaver Dam High Schools then toured freely around the gym to visit the booths that most interested them.
There was an outstanding variety of booth choices for kids regardless of what their post-high school plans entailed.

College-bound students were able to meet with representatives from several nearby colleges and universities including UNLV, Dixie State, Southern Utah University in Cedar City, and Utah Valley University to name a few.
Those who were more interested in finding employment after graduation were able to learn about many local career opportunities including cosmetology school, pet grooming, travel sales, real estate, firefighting, military, and many others.

Kids who were interested in the medical field could visit with representatives from Cosmopolitan Dental, Mesa View Hospital, Mesquite Fire Department, FIT Physical Therapy, and the Mesquite Veterinary Clinic.

Despite the high volume of students, the large number of vendors kept lines short and students were able to make the most of their time at the fair.

This is the second year Mesquite Works has organized and sponsored the fair.
“We had our first fair last year in February,” said Shelly Stoiber, Mesquite Works Executive Secretary. “We had such huge support that we decided to do it again.”
Stoiber said that they had realized the needed to move the event earlier in the school year to coincide better with the time that students start finalizing their post-graduation plans. So the fair was moved to early December and it turned out great, Stoiber said.

This year’s fair saw an increase in both colleges and careers represented. In addition, representatives of many technical careers requiring specialized training or certifications were situated right next to the schools that offered those technical programs. As students saw a career that interested them, they could also get information on how to get training needed for that career.

Mary Putnam, from the VVHS College and Career Center, and Darlene Nelson, Coordinator for the VVHS Scholarship Program were also instrumental in organizing the event and getting the word out to students.
“We advertised with our seniors that this is where they needed to be,” Nelson said. “I think they need to see the paths to the careers that they want and this is where they get that information and guidance from the venues that are present.”

MVHS took their entire junior class to the event. Connie Robertson, MVHS College Career Specialist explained, saying, “We chose to bring our juniors because they already have some idea of what they want to do. So this is a great chance to see what they have to do to meet those goals or even find some opportunities they didn’t know existed. This gives them a feel and idea as to whether they want to go to a 4-year school, a technical school, or straight into the workforce.”

Students were extremely positive about the experience. Many were surprised at the number of job opportunities that are out there.
“What surprised me most today is the number of job opportunities there are just in this area,” said MVHS junior Grady Call. “I really didn’t know about most of these small businesses and careers before today.”

MVHS junior Cassadie Jones visited for some time with FIT Physical Therapy representative Trent Laird because Jones is interested in working in that field.
“I learned that there are lots of job options in this field,” Jones said. “It’s really great to talk to someone who is actually in the field and see what they think and get some direction.”

Not only did students find jobs they were interested in, several students were able to rule out jobs they had considered. “I learned, after talking to some of the reps, that there are some things I really don’t want to do,” said MVHS student Jackson Mills.

After the fair, MVHS students were treated to a pizza lunch in the park. Students turned in their records of who they talked to and they were put into a drawing where one lucky student won a new PlayStation.
MVHS Principal Hal Mortensen thought the day was a great success.
“This was a great opportunity for our kids to start thinking about what direction they want to take in their lives,” he said. “We appreciate Mesquite Works and Virgin Valley High School for organizing this.”