Career Industry Day exposes students to many choices

More than 1,000 high school sophomores from throughout Merced County and Chowchilla got a better understanding of their future career options and the education necessary to get them there at a Career Industry Day on Tuesday at the county fairgrounds.

About 160 businesses, colleges and universities were on hand for the four-hour program, which covered three of the fairgrounds’ main buildings. The event, in its sixth year, is sponsored by the Merced County Office of Education’s Career and Alternative Education Department.

Holly Newlon, MCOE assistant superintendent for career and alternative education, said the expansive program is a worthwhile effort to get students ready for higher education or careers.

“It’s exciting to be able to provide students with opportunities to learn about different careers,” Newlon said, “and prepare them for the future. It’s good for kids to know what’s available. We appreciate the community volunteers who came out to make it effective.”

California’s 15 industry sectors are: agriculture and natural resources; arts, media and entertainment; business and finance; building trades and construction; education, child development and family services; energy and utilities; engineering and design; hospitality and tourism; information technology; manufacturing; marketing; medical; public service; fashion design; and transportation.

A group of Dos Palos students had a chance to demonstrate business concepts for the sophomores.

Nancy Ortiz, 17, is a Dos Palos High School senior and part of its 30-member virtual enterprise class, which has a company that makes handcrafted ice cream that’s also organic.

Ortiz wants to become a real estate agent and plans to major in business at California State University, Fresno. She relishes a chance to meet new people and see her efforts to sell products succeed.

Wyatt Hogue, 17, a senior, is in his second year as chief executive officer of the Dos Palos ice cream company, which was selling ice cream and handing out samples to select clients at the fairgrounds.

Hogue said 30 student “employees” work for the virtual enterprise group, established three years ago. The students took first place in virtual enterprise competition at a recent San Francisco trade fair.

Hogue hopes to get a master’s degree in business administration either from the University of California, San Diego, or the University of Oregon in Eugene. His goal is to own a company someday – a big one, he adds.

Jenny Hunger, who teaches Regional Occupational Program classes at Dos Palos High, said 30 students are involved in the student-led virtual enterprise class and each has a job.

Virtual enterprise teaches entrepreneurship as students write business and marketing plans and handle promotion, banking and finance, payroll, human relations and advertising tasks, Hogue said.

Karen Gamino and Daniella Behrens work in administration at Morning Star Packing Co. in Los Banos and were exhibiting at the Career Industry Day. The company has two plants in Los Banos, one in Williams and a warehouse in Merced.

Gamino said Morning Star is the world’s largest tomato processor. She hoped to make students aware of the opportunities available in the agriculture industry.

There are jobs in administration, accounting, sales, marketing, trucking and production areas, Gamino said. Morning Star has 35 to 40 full-time employees and 1,700 seasonal workers in Los Banos.

Mary Whited, ROP coordinator for MCOE, said more than 320 people representing businesses and colleges gave presentations to the students.

This story was originally published October 21, 2014 at 8:06 PM with the headline "Career Industry Day exposes students to many choices."