Career Fair provides information to students about different paths

Career Fair offers students a place to ask questions and gain insight from many of the volunteers who reach out try to help young adults realize their path forward after high school.

The fourth annual Career Fair was bigger than ever with many different schools across North Texas setting up booths for students to ask questions, look at programs and find what path best fits them.

Counselor Drew Orbitt helps to set up Career Fair every year and to try to guide students in the direction of their passion.

“Career Fair is all about providing choices for students, and we don’t want students to feel in dark about opportunities, college or not,” Orbitt said. “Being open and providing a platform for students to inquire about different options is our main goal every year.”

Colleges like Collin College, Paul Mitchell Cosmetology School and UNT, come to try and teach students about the many different paths available to them, whether trade school, art school,
a traditional college or even the military every student has a specific program that fits their needs.

Collin College had an especially large presence with booths set up all around the cafeteria representing the numerous amount of programs they offer. Henry Canfield, a representative from Collin College, is notably passionate about guiding students into the future.

“I work with the counselors and AVID program here on campus to help students that may have concerns and questions about what to do after high school,” Canfield said. “We all try to tap into the students’ passion and let them guide themselves through the process then we come up with a plan that best suits their personal requirements.”

The military had four stations set up across all sides of the cafeteria, with all of the different sectors of the military being represented by their own booths. Recruiters, like Brian Goylo of the Marines, told students of the many advantages and disadvantages of joining the military and what branch might best suit them.

“As a recruiter, I try and enlighten kids of the many benefits of being in the military,” Goylo said. “Sometimes it’s the right choice for them, sometimes it’s not, but the important thing is giving the kids the option to make a well-informed decision about their future.”

Organizing the Career Fair is a huge endeavor that requires careful planning and the members of the counseling staff to sacrifice their time to make it a reality. Luckily they’re all heavily motivated by the guiding of students along the process of finding themselves.

“All of us on the team reach out to different colleges, institutes and whatnot,” Orbitt said. “We give them all the vital information and ask what they need to get the most out of the fair.”

For students looking for vital information concerning colleges, or just general help planning for their future this year’s career fair presented them with an environment where they could openly ask questions and start thinking about crafting a life for themselves after high school.

“It’s a lot of work, but Career Fair is important to a lot of kids so we strive to make it as successful as possible,” Orbitt said.