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By Maya Quale
KETTERING, OH - On Tuesday, March 14, 2017, the Dayton Regional STEM School (DRSS) hosted its annual college and career fair, providing students the opportunity to explore various career options from 50 local colleges, businesses, governmental organizations, and non-profits.
Career fair is a unique opportunity that is provided to all students at DRSS. Wright State University Department of Biology Chair and DRSS Board President, Dr. David Goldstein, said, “I see a lot of first year college students who don’t have a lot of awareness of the options that are available to them. They know what field they want to go into, but they really don’t know the range of careers within those fields, and I think that’s the value of career fair; starting to open your mind to other careers.”
Gold Level Sponsors for the event this year included:
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| Production Control Units, Inc. |
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| Sinclair Community College |
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| University of Dayton School of Engineering |
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| Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science |
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| Wright State University College of Science & Mathematics |
A representative from one of our gold level sponsors, PCU, said, “We are really excited about the STEM school and have been really impressed with the STEM school students. Everyone at PCU is always excited to work with students from the STEM school. I think Career Fair is a fantastic idea because it gives students an opportunity to see the different career fields, what education you need for those fields, and what opportunities are available in the Dayton area.”
The Silver Level Sponsors this year included:
Bronze Level Sponsors this year included:
This year, Career Fair partner turnout was the largest in the school’s history, with 50 organizations participating, including:
American Chemical Society - Dayton Section
American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics - Dayton/Cincinnati Section
American Institute of Architects, Dayton Chapter
AIC College of Design
Air Force Research Laboratory
App Architecture
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery - Education Department
Boonshoft School of Medicine
Brady Ware & Company
Brown & Bills Architects
Central State University
Clark State Community College
Dayton Cooks!
Dayton Metro Library
Discovery Lab Global
Eastern Michigan University
Eastman Kodak
Emerson
FASTLANE - Manufacturing Extension Partnership
Five Rivers MetroParks
Fronana
Fronana
Kettering Recreation Department
LexisNexis Risk Solutions
MacAir Aviation
McGohanBrabender
Montgomery County Development Services
Ohio Air National Guard
Ohio EPA
Orbital ATK
Premier Health
Production Control Units, Inc.
Projects Unlimited, Inc.
Resonetics
Reynolds and Reynolds
Sinclair Community College
Solid Blend Technologies
U.S. Navy
University of Dayton - School of Engineering
Vectren
VFO
WilmerHale LLP
Wright State University - College of Education & Human Services
Wright State University - College of Engineering & Computer Science
Wright State University - College of Liberal Arts Center for Liberal Arts Student Success (CLASS)
Wright State University - College of Science & Mathematics
Wright State University - College of Nursing & Health
Wright State University - Educational Resource Center
Wright State University - Office of Disability Services
Wright State University - Office of Undergraduate Recruitment
Wright State University - Urban Affairs & Geography/Master of Public Administration.
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| Students talk with representatives of LexisNexis Risk Solutions about the work they do right here in the Dayton region. |
Career Fair is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn from experts in their career fields about what it takes to be successful. When asked about Career Fair from a middle school student’s perspective, Sara Riley, Class of 2022, said, “Career Fair a place where you could get a potential future job or learn more about a college, but it still seems pretty far off in the future to me. I think I want to be an engineer because I really enjoy designing and making things. Career Fair gives me the opportunity to wander around and see what Ohio has to offer.”
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| Students had the opportunity to speak directly with representatives from the companies who participated. |
Not only does it expose them to many different careers, it also allows students to build connections with industry professionals who could potentially serve as their internship site, a 72-hour graduation requirement. Career Fair is an exciting event that all students have the opportunity to partake in. Jillian Dascalos, Class of 2020, said “I think this helps [students] learn what colleges they’d like to attend. I, for example, don’t know, so I think that this will be really beneficial to me.”
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| Students had assignments they had to complete during the event, but students also had plenty of time to simply talk with practicing professionals in a variety of different industries. |
For the first time, DRSS alumni were able to continue exploring various career options as well. Career fair is just one of many examples as to how the Dayton Regional STEM School prepares students for the real world. DRSS Superintendent/Chief Administrative Officer Robin Fisher said, “Career Fair is another opportunity for our students to make connections with businesses and industries in the Dayton Region, helping our students be more prepared for their future choices and career. What’s different about our Career Fair is that we do it during the school day and take time from class because we feel it’s so important. On top of that, we also have an assignment that’s affiliated with the event, so students have an objective and mission. We also specifically target 6-12 grade students, not just high school students.”
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| Many DRSS partners participated in the event, including Vectren, which powers the DRSS Engineering Career Tech Pathway. |
Finally, thank you to all of our sponsors for participating in an event that prompts students to really assess their future career goals. For more pictures, please visit our Career Fair album on Facebook or search for #DRSSCareerFair2017 on social media!
