Somerset Middle School kids check out future jobs

Somerset Middle School students spent a morning looking over the horizon, hearing speakers from all walks of life talk about their options.

Sheriff’s deputies, a disc jockey, a dancer and a dentist were among more than 30 presenters and people of various occupations who spoke to the teens about how to do what they do. A bike maker, a sensory scientist, a chef, a respiratory therapist, a real estate agent and a K-9 officer and a deputy were others.

“We’ve never had a career fair of this magnitude,” said Mary Smyth, principal of the north Modesto school in the Sylvan Union School District. She said the day lets kids whose parents never went to college see other paths.

“They’re really smart kids, but unless someone points that (potential) out to them – they don’t know what they don’t know,” Smyth said.

The breadth of industries covered came from an interest survey of the school’s nearly 1,000 students taken by counselors, who then considered possible jobs that fit with those interests.

“We want them to get the feeling there are jobs they haven’t thought of before. How they can take what they’re learning now, connect that to their interests now and do some research on where that could lead,” said Gina Mroczka, one of the counselors on the career fair team led by Tami Gierhan.

Beyond a wide range of jobs representing a spectrum of trade school to grad school training, organizers looked for nontraditional people in those professions. The U.S. Navy, for example, sent Lt. Eve Callahan. A female farmer spoke about ag careers. Gilbert Martinez demonstrated court stenography – typing out what his co-presenter, a lawyer, said in real time.

“We tried to get a variety,” said Jennifer Anderson, another organizer.

“We want to try and reach as many of our students as possible during this event. In their presentation, we are asking presenters to also talk about how middle school, and education, played a role in their careers,” explained teacher Lisa Holcombe before the fair.

Presenters each took a room and students rotated between them for three sessions. An armored Stanislaus County SWAT personnel carrier parked in the campus courtyard for the morning, with a line of kids from each session scooting in through its blast-proof back doors and out the side exit.

“It’s kind of small,” Hector De Luna said after he came out of the dark interior of the heavily fortified vehicle.

In one classroom, financial analyst Alana Scott spoke of a different kind of armor, being financially secure to weather whatever life throws your way. Scott formed a nonprofit to help women, the Women Education Leadership League.

“Her mother died when she was 15 and she carried on her legacy,” said seventh-grader Dominique Gallego. Asked what she took away from the session, she said, “Everyone’s a leader.”

“Never give up. Some problems can lead to something better,” were what Kaitlyn Tyler took down as notes from Scott’s talk.

“Go beyond your comfort zone to find your passions,” said Tony Wheatley.

For Smyth, such insights were the best part.

“This is so needed. That emotional connection is so vital,” she said, adding that several children at the school had lost a parent this year.

This story was originally published March 21, 2016 at 6:58 PM with the headline "Somerset Middle School kids check out future jobs."