Students get hands on look at possible career paths at Imagine the Possibilities

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – An interactive career fair featuring professionals from a variety of industries across Northeast Mississippi gave eighth-graders a look at possible career choices.

Throughout Tuesday morning, bus after bus unloaded students for the interactive and high energy career expo.

Over three days, fifteen school districts from seventeen counties will take eighth graders through the event.

“They have an opportunity to look around, and that’s what we want, to see things they are not familiar with and to see there are a lot of opportunities in our region for career opportunities,” said Mike Clayborne, of the CREATE Foundation.

At the Health Sciences section, students could experience virtual robotic surgery at the Specialty Orthopedic Group booth.

“We have two surgery techs who work in our outpatient surgery center, they are guiding students through the virtual reality surgery process, it’s like they are the surgeon,” said Emily Addison, with Specialty Orthopedic Group.

Hands-on activities kept students’ interest while exposing them to a variety of career opportunities.

“It helps me by seeing all my options other than just being a doctor and basic things and knowing like different careers I could be doing,” said Emmy Millender, of Amory Middle School.

Before they came to Imagine the Possibilities, students choose a career path to explore when they get to the expo.

Many schools already have their eighth graders thinking about career choices and life after high school.

“A lot of them will start getting jobs soon so knowing what workforces are open and available as well as what types of hands-on things they have to do, would be a good thing for them,” said Carrie Ray, a teacher at Caledonia Middle School.

More than 7,000 eighth-graders will tour the expo through Thursday.

It takes more than 400 volunteers to make the career expo a success.