Derrick Miller
DUNCAN — It’s never too early to begin thinking about a career path.
Area eighth-graders participated in the 15th annual Red River Technology Center Eighth-grade Career Expo on Thursday in the Simmons Center and the technology center. The event gives students insight into what classes they should be taking to achieve their career goals.
Sylvia Loveday, career expo coordinator, said, “Students who begin planning early, while in the eighth grade, simply have more options available during their junior and senior years of high school. That is why we invite all the eighth-graders.”
About 690 students came from area schools, including Duncan, Bray-Doyle, Central High, Comanche, Empire, Grandview, Marlow, Velma-Alma and Waurika.
Loveday said the program exposed students to different careers and featured local and state businesses and organizations, including Duncan Regional Hospital, Halliburton and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
“The career expo allows students to explore a wide variety of careers and training opportunities,” Loveday said.
This year’s event also included programs from three engineers not related to Halliburton. Loveday said these engineers provided more insight into the different types of engineering, while introducing the technology center’s Pre-Engineering Academy.
Loveday said the academy will start in the fall semester.
While the expo might have helped promote the academy, the main goal was to get the students thinking about what they want to do after high school and what they need to do in high school to get there.
“We want these young people to start setting goals early and making plans for their education and career after high school,” Loveday said.
Sydney Henricks and Kody Garis, both of Duncan, were among the eighth-graders in attendance for the career expo. Both said they learned a lot from the event and it got them thinking about what careers they may be interested in.
“It definitely opened my thoughts to other careers,” Henricks said.
One of the main objectives of the career expo was to get students thinking about what classes they would need in high school.
“It shows me how important school is,” Garis said.
Henricks agreed.
“I learned why it’s important to pass all your classes at the beginning of high school,” Henricks said.
— Derrick Miller is a reporter for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 160, or via e-mail at derrick.miller@duncanbanner.com.
