MADISON HIGH SCHOOL students (left) McKenna Shaw, Zoey Gerry, Kiana Whitethorn, Megan Schouwenberg, Chloe Schneider and Evelyn Graham were among those enjoying the MHS College/Career Fair on Tuesday. Here, they stand in front of the setup for the Madison Public Library, one of around 30 local businesses in attendance.
MADISON HIGH SCHOOL students (left) McKenna Shaw, Zoey Gerry, Kiana Whitethorn, Megan Schouwenberg, Chloe Schneider and Evelyn Graham were among those enjoying the MHS College/Career Fair on Tuesday. Here, they stand in front of the setup for the Madison Public Library, one of around 30 local businesses in attendance.
From a young age, children are asked the question of what they’d like to do when they grow up. This is a complicated inquiry, and for high school students around the country, it becomes even more pressing as they prepare for the next step in their lives.
Fortunately, schools have a variety of tools at their disposal to help ease students’ anxieties for the future. These include college/career fairs, which give students the chance to speak directly with college officials and representatives from local businesses.
Madison High School held its own career/college fair on Tuesday and invited 9th- through 12th-grade students from around the area to see the opportunities that are available.
“We’ve always wanted to do this,” MHS Principal Adam Shaw said.
For Shaw, these fairs not only help build and maintain relationships with local establishments but also assist students with finding summer jobs and potentially long-term careers.
Along with Madison, students from Chester, Flandreau and Oldham-Ramona attended.
“It’s actually our first year,” said MHS Career Adviser Lori Christensen, who was key in coordinating the event. She added that the school had planned to host the fair in 2020 but plans were stopped in their tracks by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Christensen said that her motivations for the project were to provide students a place to learn about the benefits of a college education and to advertise the plethora of quality professions that can be accessed without one.
Around 40 colleges and 30 businesses attended the fair. These included Madison’s Dakota State University, Aberdeen’s Northern State University, Spearfish’s Black Hills State University and others.
The college section of the fair occupied the middle school gym, which was packed with students discussing different majors and hearing about the colleges’ many programs.
In the high school gym, representatives from Bethel Lutheran Home, Valiant Living, ViaFlex and a host of other businesses spoke with students on various careers and highlighted the path of success for their respective field.
“Say there’s a manufacturer looking for an engineer. They can talk to students about what kind of schooling they need, and then the student can hop over and talk to some of the schools that they can get that degree with,” said Greater Madison Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Eric Hortness, who assisted with recruiting businesses for the fair.
Lake Area Improvement Corporation Executive Director Brooke Rollag also praised the event, saying: “The opportunity and exposure is so exciting at the high school level.”
She added that through this exposure, students gain a better understanding of their options for the future.
Those who played a role in its organization said the turnout for the event was excellent for its first year. Shaw noted that the students’ reactions have been positive as well.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I’m so glad our kids are so passionate.”
