KAPA‘A — More than 50 businesses, professionals and community organizations set up shop at Kapa‘a High School’s career fair last Friday to give students insight into what type of education is needed for their respective fields. This is the second
KAPA‘A — More than 50 businesses, professionals and community organizations set up shop at Kapa‘a High School’s career fair last Friday to give students insight into what type of education is needed for their respective fields.
This is the second year the guidance department at the school has sponsored the fair.
“We wanted to bring resources on campus so the students can start thinking about what careers they might want to get into,” said career fair coordinator Robin Keawe. “Hopefully as the presenters speak with the students, they can kind of find out what kind of courses they should take to be better prepared leading up to their careers.”
Students spent the morning doing guidance activities to focus on the career fair.
“The seniors are aware it’s their last year and they have to think about these things. The juniors are starting to think about it, and the underclassmen — we didn’t want to exclude them.”
Given a worksheet to complete, the students had to find a career path and interview one of the professionals. They were to describe the career, ask about educational planning and if the professional enjoyed his or her career.
Team Unlimited TV productions, A-Town Sound, Video Lunyx, Mohala Weddings and even The Garden Island represented the communications field. American Savings Bank, Hawaiian Airlines Sales and Marketing and Starwood Vacations Ownership were among the business management and technology booths. The armed forces were represented by the Hawaii National Guard, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps and the Pacific Missile Range Facility. The University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, Kaua‘i Community College and Kamehameha Schools represented the education sector.
Other organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, Calvary Chapel Kaua‘i and People Attentive to Children, a child-care services firm, were also in attendance.
PATCH Kaua‘i coordinator Cathy Shanks said the fair displayed a wide variety of options for students. At her booth, Shanks provided the students with information on how to start their own child-care businesses.
“It’s a good alternative to having their own business, especially if they like small children,” said Shanks.
Senior Krystal Carlos came into the career fair with an open mind.
“I pretty much went in there blank,” she said. “I liked all the vendors because there were a lot of different opportunities that I didn’t know where out there.”
The hotel and the pharmaceutical industries intrigued her. But the booth she enjoyed the most was the Humane Society.
“I liked that because they told us we could volunteer there,” Carlos said.
