BY JENN SAMSEL
Keystone Heights High School hosted its 7th Annual Career and College Fair, helping students prepare for college and pursue careers after graduation.
This year’s event, occurring on Wednesday, December 3, featured approximately 40 different businesses, colleges, and military branches.
Students in grades 9 through 12 had the opportunity to speak with representatives and learn about post-secondary opportunities.
“For the students, they have an idea of what they want to go into, and then they can go ahead and start networking and maybe build some connections with different employers, colleges, or military branches that they want to go into after they graduate,” said Carley Feagle, College and Career Coach, Keystone Heights High School
Kaylyn Chapman, a junior at KHHS, attended the career fair. Her goal is to become a special education teacher and attend the University of North Florida.
“I went over to the UNF table and talked to them, and they gave me a lot of papers, so I could talk to them about going through the whole process,” she said.
Madallynn Glinski, following her classmate, is also looking at colleges that align with her career as a cardiac stenographer, helping people with cardiac and cardiovascular problems. She is considering attending Santa Fe Community College.
“Keystone Heights Junior Senior High put this on today so we could learn more about college and careers and what we want to do in our next step,” she said.
Mindie Roberts, Human Resources Consultant, Capital City Bank, said her company has made direct hires from the fair in the past.
“I will tell you that in the last five years that I’ve been working with Ginger Lee, Capital City Bank, Client Experience Manager, she has recruited two students, one right out of high school. She stayed with us for about a year, grew her career, and then moved on to another career, and then another one. She is still working with us and growing her career that came right out of high school,” said Roberts.
Alongside the career fair, many students will have the opportunity to learn how to write resumes and cover letters, as well as participate in real-life mock interviews with actual businesses. This experience will help them gain insights into the real world after graduating from high school.
Capital City Bank is one of the employers participating in next year’s mock interview process organized by the Student Advisory Council. This initiative helps students with interviewing techniques, resume building, and dressing for success in the real world.
“We teach and help them to build resumes. What they do in high school, the grades they get, the committees they’re on, the clubs they join, being the captain of their softball team are career choices that they can put on their resume for college and for the workforce afterwards,” said Roberts.
The community advocate and event planner for the Keystone Heights RV Resort said she was helping students learn about trade schools and offered them part-time jobs during the summer.
“Trying to get them to try pretty much everything with jobs and everything they want,” said Helen Lavarnway. “They could be electricians, maintenance, mechanics, anything that’s affordable for them, because college is expensive these days. I love helping the students.”
Recognizing the demand for careers in fire, EMT, and law enforcement, Santa Fe College representatives encouraged students to become licensed in those fields.
“I’ve been with the college for 30 years, and we help navigate the process of the application. We train first responders, so students who want to go into a life of service, a good choice, and to serve the community,” said Tom Mason, Advisor for the Emergency Medical Services Programs, Santa Fe College.
At the beginning of the school year, a larger career fair is held at the Clay County Fairgrounds.
However, many students are unable to attend due to the long distance. To address this issue, KHHS organizes a career fair that brings together employers, colleges, and trade schools from various counties, making it more accessible to students.
