On March 19, Del Mar held CUHSD’s annual Career Pathway Expo for students and families in the district. The event was held in the gym from 6 – 8 PM, where representatives from different schools, programs, internships, and more participated to inform attendees about their organizations.
Students from all schools in the district were encouraged to attend the expo. Natalie Reynoso, a sophomore at Del Mar volunteering with Leo’s Club, learned of the expo through emails sent by Dulce Cajero, Del Mar’s College and Career Center Specialist.
Reynoso intends to explore the expo during her volunteering to discover new possibilities for herself. “There’s a good combination of like, internships that can lead to career opportunities,” Reynoso said.
Juniors Minty Buy and Juna Lee from Prospect discovered the expo through the CUHSD Instagram page. They attended to gather information about their professions of interest, with Buy planning to pursue vet planning and Lee interested in dentistry.
“I think it gives a good introduction and like it might help people, like find their directions, and just learn about different career paths,” said Lee regarding the expo.
Various organizations were present at the expo. Zhané Schroeder, representing the Trades Orientation Program, explained that the organization covers everything involved in building and maintaining structures. It also helps people get into union apprenticeship programs.
“I’m more interested in trying to find folks who are interested in getting into building and construction trades.” Schroeder said, “…because construction is everywhere, and we’re always going to need the construction to be done. And so I want to, like, open up people’s like, the doors for people to be able to think more about what they can do with their future. It’s not just about, you know, going to college or going to military. There’s options, and this is one of them.”
Minds Matter Bay Area is another organization attending the expo. One of their representatives, Mary Wu, explains how the non-profit helps students with SAT/ACT prep, college prep, and mentorship to underserved students.
“I know a lot of people who are attending are juniors and seniors right now, but I think the main thing is brand awareness and also getting parents involved and really caring about their students future and what they want to do,” Wu said.
The expo was not limited to schools and student preparation; military representatives were also present and participated. “We just want more students and parents and educators being aware of what we offer, and also the programs that could help them, benefit them for college or work experience,” said Army Recruiter O’Neal.
When it comes to recruiting, O’Neal discusses how, “You get to talk to them like a person, also, while telling them your story and military stuff, while kind of helping them get some familiarization with how military life is, and what we do in general,” said O’Neal.
Marlette Palma, representing the Cinta Aveda Institute, a cosmetology, barbering, and esthetician school in San Jose, discusses the expo’s impact on students who attend. “I think that these types of expos can help a lot bring awareness of all the different career choices that are there. Because many people don’t know what they can do right after high school, but there’s so many choices, so this is our way of bringing awareness,” Palma said.
“This, they’re a great way to connect with the community and really tell folks about the programs that are out there,” said Schroeder, “like being present at places where a lot of the community members are really helps with spreading the word about any program out there. And so when I know that there’s gonna be a lot of people looking for, you know, future careers, future like colleges, whatnot, and I can be there, I’m gonna be there.”
