It was like speed dating for career-oriented eighth-graders. Everyone was dressed up, everyone was nervous, and they were all there to make a connection and see if it led to anything long term.
More than 5,700 eager eighth-grade students from Adams County middle schools swarmed the Denver Mart on Nov. 19 during the 10th annual Adams County Commissioners Career Expo. Representatives from local industries and colleges lined the walls and filled the expansive warehouse with their interactive stations and presentations.
Holly Painter, 13, already knew what kind of suitor she would seek before her school bus from Stargate Charter School pulled into the expo.
“I want to lean more toward veterinary work,” she said. “Animals are a lot like babies; they can’t tell you what’s the matter, so it’s kind of up to you to figure out how to help them.”
At home, Painter looks after her dog, two cats, a couple fish and a gerbil. She did an internship with the Denver Zoo last summer to familiarize herself with the necessary educational path needed to be a professional animal caretaker.
When she walked into the expo, Painter almost instantly honed in on the sign over a group of tables that said “animal services.” The line to meet the presenters from the Denver Zoo was long, but she waited with a small group of friends because, frankly, she knows what she wants.
“I already know I’m interested in animal care, I just need to find out more about it,” Painter said.
The Denver Zoo station had exotic animal pelts strewn over the table to touch. Other eye-catching displays were an actual welding station from the Welding Technology Program at Bollman Technical Education Center and a massive jet-powered dragster on display from Redstone College.
The scene was described by attendees and volunteers as a zoo itself; a madhouse, but also a playground of opportunity.
“This is the biggest this event has ever been and it only gets bigger every year,” said Emma Galvin, director of the Adams County Education Consortium. “Our partnerships are phenomenal, and the (growing list) of diverse vendors are great resources for the students.”
Board members of the Adams County Education Consortium include members from Adams County Workforce and Business Center, two of the community colleges (DeVry and Front Range), all of the school districts in Adams County including Pinnacle Charter School and GOAL Academy, The Denver Mart, The Hanson Group, Wells Fargo and Adams County Economic Development.
Galvin said the consortium was formed in 2005 to correct the low graduation rate and the problems that local businesses were running into regarding the experience and professionalism of young adults applying for their jobs. Many of the students were undereducated and wholly uninformed on the etiquette of career courting.
The commissioner’s career expo encourages students to dress cleanly and smartly. The kids prepare questions for their brief interviews, shake hands with the presenters and exchange business cards.
Galvin arranged for each student to receive 10 business cards before the expo. As they wandered through the hive of information, they dropped their cards with the professionals they met.
“Each vendor makes a list of their top 10 most impressive interviews and hands them over at the end,” Galvin said. “We tally the students who received the most mentions, and they’re awarded by the county commissioners at a later time.”
After dropping her business card with the presenter from the Denver Zoo, Painter turned her attention to some of the medical field tables in the warehouse. She has more than one potential love.
“I think (choosing a career) depends mostly on whether you’re happy or not,” Painter said. “If you’re excited to get up every day to go do it, and it doesn’t feel like a chore, it’s a good choice.”
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, mmitchell@denverpost.com, or @MMitchelldp
