Career fair in Merced connects middle school students with universities and professionals

Hundreds of students and their families gathered for a career fair at Tenaya Middle School to meet with professionals in various career areas and officials from colleges and universities, according to a statement from the Merced City School District.

Professionals from across the state filled the school gym and parking lot for College/Career Making it Happen Night, officials said, which was organized by the school's AVID program.

“Even though the students are in middle school, it gives them a chance to start thinking about where they would like to go to college or the type of career in which they might be interested,” event organizer Ginger Wren said.

Students were able to meet with paramedics, law enforcement officials, firefighters, teachers and military service members.

Representative from different colleges came, like Merced College, CSU Fresno, CSU Sacramento, UC Berkeley and UCLA.

“It is never too early for students to start planning for their future,” said Mystee Schindler, Tenaya learning director and AVID coordinator. “Our AVID Site Team works hard to host this event every year because we want to encourage our students and their families to start making those plans now.”

Raffle prizes were given out during last week’s event, including the grand prize, a PlayStation 4. Refreshments were also sold to support future school events.

“Our community’s support for this event was truly inspiring and allows for our students to envision their own unlimited possibilities,” said Derek Peterson, Tenaya Middle School teacher.

This story was originally published April 16, 2017 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Career fair in Merced connects middle school students with universities and professionals."