Students at Roselawn Continuation High School traded in their textbooks and pencils for pamphlets and presentations during the school’s annual Career Day on Friday.
During the event, which aims to get students prepared for life after high school, various career and educational representatives were in attendance to enlighten students on the different paths available to them once they receive their diplomas.
“I strongly support exposing our students to different options after high school, whether it is attending college or finding a job,” said Principal Felipe Meraz. “This event brings real life experience and shows our students what is out there.
“It only takes one person to make a comment to spark a student’s interest in something,” added Meraz.
A number of organizations attended the event including Project Yes, Havens Women Center, Foster Farms, Gold Valley Health Centers and American Medical Response.
Careers were not the only thing highlighted during the day, as students were also exposed to various educational pathways. An entire room was dedicated to different colleges, including Modesto Junior College and San Joaquin Valley College.
To the relief of Meraz, the annual Career Day proved yet again to be a hit with the students.
Senior Ruby Serrano-Gil appreciated hearing information about different jobs and revealed that her favorite presentation of the day was by the California Department of Water Resources.
“Water Resources has been the best so far,” said Serrano-Gil. “They were really good at explaining what they do, what kind of benefits they get, and their salary—it was very interesting.”
Serrano-Gil reported that after she graduates from Roselawn, she has plans to attend MJC to pursue a degree in Liberal Studies.
“I’m ultimately hoping to transfer to California State University, Stanislaus, so we’ll see how it goes,” said Serrano-Gil.
Senior Chloe Burton shared Serrano-Gil’s appreciation for the event, as this year’s Career Day allowed her to learn more about education after high school.
“This is a good experience to learn how other people work and about the different college systems,” said Burton. “It has definitely opened up my eyes to the different colleges and what do with my education in the future.”
Like Serrano-Gil, Burton also has plans to enroll at MJC upon graduating from Roselawn. She hopes to become a Federal Bureau of Investigations agent by achieving a degree in Criminal Justice, however, she is also drawn to the field of psychology.
“Roselawn should do a career day more often,” Burton concluded.
