Oak Hill, WV (WOAY) – Oak Hill Middle School held its first-ever career fair on Tuesday, and students didn’t just attend it. They put it all together.
A group of eighth graders came up with the concept months ago and handled every detail of the execution themselves, from recruiting professionals to arranging food delivery and setting up the event.
“We came up with this idea a few months ago,” said Mason Gyurek, an eighth grader and fair organizer. “We just thought that we could do something for our students to really prepare them for their futures.”
Fellow organizer Sophia McManaway said the logistics were no small task. “We had to organize all the schedules for students and teachers, and we also had to organize schedules for the visitors,” she said.
The fair drew representatives from construction, coal mining, banking, photography, insurance, mental health, and several other fields. Eighth grader Raegan Davis said the event gave students a real look at their options. “You get to browse around and see if you would like to do any of these careers in the future,” she said.
Among the professionals on hand was Trooper First Class Travis Richardson of the West Virginia State Police. “The WV State Police are there to protect you, no matter what they have going on in their life, whether it be something small or something large, but they can always count on the state police to be there,” Richardson said.
Katelyne Waddell, an insurance agent with Haynes Insurance, said she came to share a career path she wishes more people knew about. “I just feel like there’s so many people who don’t even know about being an insurance agent,” Waddell said. “I’ve only been in it a year, and I love it.”
Newswatch 4 also had a booth at the fair. Students curious about TV news got a chance to try the job out for real, interviewing reporter Caleb Pearl on camera.
“Be curious,” Pearl told one student asking for career advice. “Because if you’re curious, then it’s easy to find out what’s happening and to tell that story.”
Asked whether any of the students he met had what it takes, Pearl didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely. I’ve just met two, and I’m talking to one right now. The other is on that side of the camera. And I think they would make for fantastic journalists.”
