HHS Hosts Its First Career Showcase

by Leslie Niiro, sophomore, Hermann High School

"This sheet is your ticket into the room.  In other words, DO NOT lose it," said the HHS staff as they delivered career showcase schedules to all of the students on Monday.   I looked at mine: Federal Aviation Administration, FBI, and Journalism.  There had been many other options available, but students ranked their top five choices, and presentations were assigned from there.

We were told, "Dress like you would for a job interview. Be professional. Represent your school," and so and so forth.  Yes, it definitely seemed that when Wednesday's career fair dawned, it was going to be a huge deal. 

Walking through the doors Wednesday morning, March 10th, it seemed like it would be an ordinary day, for the most part.  The fun began after attendance.  Students wandered off to varying presentations, from counseling, by Jill Brooks, to architecture, by Nick Godat, to finance, by Joy and Matt Haeffner. We were to spend thirty minutes listening to each presentation, and then had ten minutes between presentations to ask questions or mill about in the commons.  "It was very cool," said Anthony Plogger, junior.  "We were able to experience the ups and downs of careers, and it helped me decide whether I wanted to be in that profession or not."

College and military representatives were also available in the gym. Students had the chance to speak to admissions directors about their future plans. "I was able to learn about colleges I hadn't even considered or knew about before, and I got to learn about careers that I knew very little about. So I was glad that we had a career day," said Nora Purdy, freshman. 

Many students were grateful that HHS hosted a career fair.  "I am very glad HHS had a career day, because it gave us all a chance to explore different job opportunities, and build our confidence," said Danielle Mueller, sophomore.

When asked whether or not he considered the career fair a success, Coach Stuzman, HHS Assistant Principal stated, "Going around, I saw that presenters and students were having a good time. I think it'll help them make wise choices for their colleges and career. We have every intent for this to become a yearly event, and will make small changes to make next year's career fair go smoother. It was a learning experience."