MESA — Students with Mesa Public Schools recently got the opportunity to add to their resumes at the district’s second annual job fair.
Juniors or seniors in any district high school were able to meet with over a hundred Valley businesses and organizations to apply for internships or part-time jobs in their areas of interest.
How did Mesa Public Schools job fair help students?
Priseyah Robinson, a junior at Westwood High School, attended the job fair.
She said she was looking for a job in the medical field, which she hopes will help her become an athletic trainer.
“I would say it’s definitely giving them more experience in the real-life workforce rather than just if they’re doing an after-school program,” she said of the opportunities at the job fair.
Georgia Wright, a junior at Mesa High School, was looking for a digital marketing job. She said the fair helped her network in her chosen field, as well.
“I right now have a very inner circle that’s very knit to my school. This is able to reach out to different companies that I don’t have the personal connections to get to,” she explained. “I could find my forever job in there.”
What kinds of job opportunities did students have?
Booths at the job fair ranged from the Phoenix Zoo to Honeywell, with companies offering jobs in nursing, beauty and construction.
Dawn Giles, workforce development specialist for Mesa Public Schools, Arizona’s largest public school district, said the extra experience gained from holding a job will help students after graduation.
“Getting kids to have some real-world experience makes school more meaningful. All of a sudden, you understand how you use algebra 2 and why it matters,” she said.
Ashlyn Sharky with Hoofbeats with Heart, a horse therapy center for children with disabilities, said her organization attended the event to look for interns and volunteers.
“I have people who are pursuing nursing careers, who are pursuing anything that has to do with children, one that’s pursuing a social worker,” Sharky said. “I mean, truly anything. And respite care looks amazing on a resume because it shows responsibility.”
Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.
The post Mesa high school students get a head start in workforce at hiring event appeared first on KTAR.
