Thursday April 5th, 2012 was a beautiful spring day at Joaquin Murrieta Park to open the minds and opportunities of students from Tucson International Academy (TIA) to the future that awaits them. This was not your normal day at the playground, but an opportunity for all TIA students to meet 31 local and national career exhibits and the people representing those organizations to help TIA students find out what will be your future career.
What Career's Await You After You Graduate?
Every year, TIA brings together faculty and students from their four locations around Tucson to open the eyes of their students to the potential opportunities that await them once they graduate. Many of the careers featured, like working for the F.B.I. or becoming an architect, would require a formal college education. However, students were also exposed to opportunities like joining the police force, border patrol, or construction which do not require a college degree. Each career exhibit brought something representative of their work. Some booths had many pictures or demonstrations of a “day in the life” of a particular occupation, while others gave opportunities for hands-on activities so students could gain their first experience of a required job element.The diverse jobs represented at the career fair gave students a taste of the breadth of opportunities they can look forward to once they graduate. For some students, the experience further reinforced their initial career choice, while for other students it broadened the scope of choices they were considering. One of the students, Mari, mentioned “There are many types of jobs available to you when you are older” and that the job fair “... gave me other options.”
Expanding Student's Dreams
Expanding student’s dreams is not the only benefit the job fair provides. Students had the opportunity to ask questions like “Will I get paid more if I have a college degree?” and “What overall qualities or values does your company look for in employees?” Discovering the importance of a good education first hand helps the students connect the dots between what they do right now in the classroom and what they will be doing in their future career.Each year the depth of experience grows, as businesses in our community volunteer their time and manpower to sharing their vocation, and students crystallize their once far-off dreams into actionable goals. Tucson International Academy is blessed with strong ties to our Tucson community and organizations that are willing to pour into the lives of the next generation to enter the workforce.
