This year’s Futures Fair, hosted by the Southwest Education Collaborative, was a bustle of activity Wednesday at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds.
High school students from Cortez, Mancos, Dolores and Dove Creek stood in a line at the entrance before being ushered into the area where the Futures Fair was taking place. The entire building was humming with excitement as students spoke with nonprofit organizations, local and regional businesses, law enforcement agencies, trade organizations, wilderness adventure businesses, animal rescue groups, colleges, universities and more.
Tai Rogers, career and college pathways coordinator for the collaborative, said more than 80 organizations were present to speak with students about what is available to them after they graduate. Though the career fair was created originally by Montezuma-Cortez High School, Rogers said the collaborative took it over to keep it going. This is the program’s fourth year.
Students frequented the tables of the Futures Fair participants, learning more about various career paths and educational institutions.
At the Southwest Memorial Hospital table, Chief Nursing Officer Lisa Gates and nurse practitioner Teresa Brown-Sanchez touted their summer internship, which encourages students to contribute to their community while they grow as health care professionals in a supportive environment.
Gates shared that students who interned with the hospital have returned entered a specialty area with experience gleaned in the internship.
Past the hospital’s table, an ambulance was parked near the tables for law enforcement agencies, EMTs, the Cortez Fire Protection District and Classic Air Medical. Tables were crowded with students learning about career paths.
At the Cortez Recreation Center table, recreation supervisor Michelle Devall and pool manager Ahnna Higgins provided insight into open lifeguard positions, noting that the skills learned on the job can transfer to a career as a paramedic, police officer, child educator, nurse or military member.
Nearby, a plumber told an attendee that plumbing is a job that leads to lifelong learning, saying, “I’ve been a plumber for 30 years, and I learn something new every single day.”
At the table for the National Mustang Association Colorado, a volunteer explained that their organization helps rescue and remove wild horses from Mesa Verde National Park, gentling them and finding them new homes. She showed photos of two horses recently rescued, a bay and a pinto.
Volunteers are needed to work with the horses and help with administrative and technological tasks. NMACO is creating a database of DNA of horses at their rescue and has had unexpected results, including draft horse bloodlines.
Organizers hope the fair continues to grow.
“I’m always trying to get small businesses and people I talk to throughout the year who tell me that they’re having a hard time getting new employees that this is a perfect time to tell kids how they can get into the business and how they can help,” Rogers said.
As students leave the fair and turn in their raffle card, they can leave feedback on the bottom for the team at the education collaborative.
“Was it worth their time? What careers were they interested in that we didn’t have present? We get feedback from the kids, and the kids generally like it,” Rogers said.
New to the fair this year was the appearance of breakout sessions and presentations about careers such as natural resources and health care.
The event boosts the community as well.
“I love seeing kids get energized, and I love bringing the community together like this. I think it’s so important for constituents in the community to recognize that students need to be able to test the waters and explore careers in a safe space. A lot of this generation has anxiety around making the wrong decision about jumping into something and not knowing if it was the right choice for them,” Rogers said. “I think it’s so valuable for them to be able to go on job shadows and go to career fairs and summer programs where kids can try things out without any kind of risk … It’s really important and really valuable, and it makes a world of difference for kids to be able to try it.”
