Junior Achievement Expo goal: Get students on a career path

Some students want to be marine biologists. Some want to be carpenters. But a lot of Quad Cities area students have no idea about their future job plans and are still looking around and exploring options. More than 2,500 local middle school students got a chance to do a lot of looking and asking questions […]

Some students want to be marine biologists. Some want to be carpenters. But a lot of Quad Cities area students have no idea about their future job plans and are still looking around and exploring options. More than 2,500 local middle school students got a chance to do a lot of looking and asking questions Thursday, Dec. 8, at the Junior Achievement (JA) of the Heartland’s Inspire Career Expo at the Bend XPO. The career expo continues today, Dec. 9, at the East Moline center. That event brings together 54 local businesses, agencies and groups whose representatives are offering the young people views on many different career paths and job choices. Those careers range from construction work to truck drivers, medical field jobs, zookeepers, firefighters, television careers and much more. JA officials said the Inspire Career Expo is designed to give students some information and hands-on experience in selecting a potential career. “This is all about getting them on path,” said Katie Sothmann, JA’s senior director of marketing and social events. “Maybe (the students) see a manufacturing table here and decide they want to work at Arconic.” Dougal Nelson, president and CEO of JA of the Heartland, said in a statement: “It’s truly amazing to watch students grow more confident, sharpen professional skills, and interact with local business professionals who can help shape their future.” During Thursday’s expo, many of those professionals were attracting the students to their tables with free gifts, computer-driven demonstrations and presentations about their careers. “We’re here hoping to plant the seeds, hoping to get kids interested in community service,” Lt. Zachary Soliz, of the Davenport Fire Department, said as he showed some students the proper way to use a fire extinguisher. A few tables over, employees with Russell, Davenport, were showing students some of the highlights of constructing office buildings and homes. Bailey Keyes, a Russell preconstruction engineer, said she hopes the students got this message: “There’s a lot to do in construction. People need homes and it’s a lot of fun building homes.” In another section of the XPO, Joel Vanderbush, curator of conservation and education at Niabi Zoo, was meeting with a group of students. He was telling them about the Junior Zoo Keeper volunteer program at the Coal Valley zoo and other career opportunities in animal care. “We want them to know there are career opportunities at the zoo,” he said.

One of the students visiting Niabi’s table was Breanna Thompson, 13, an eighth-grader in Colona. She is hoping to be a marine biologist and liked visiting the many tables at the expo. “It’s good. We get to learn a lot of stuff here, she added. Another student, Jaiden Byorum, 14, also of Colona, said he wants to be a carpenter and also got some useful information on that career Thursday. “I really like it. There’s all kinds of interesting things.” But many of the other area students admitted they did not have a career path in mind as they toured the various company tables Thursday. Several of the business and career representatives said that is perfectly normal. “I know a lot of them are just dabbling their fingers … and dipping their toes into some careers,” said Paige Whitney, who was representing Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport.  Ms. Whitney and other Palmer officials were keeping busy showing students some highlights of  careers in chiropractic medicine. The event drew middle school and junior high students from several area school districts including: Bettendorf, Colona, Davenport, Jordan Catholic (Rock Island), Moline, Morning Star Academy (Bettendorf), North Scott, Northeast (Goose Lake, Iowa), Orion (Illinois), Riverdale and Rock Island. At the expo, career tables were divided into four zones: Zone 1 for manufacturing, arts and communication, ag careers and government; Zone 2 for education, finance, hospitality and tourism; Zone 3 for marketing and sales, human services, law and public safety, and architecture and construction; and Zone 4 for info technology, transportation, health services and business management. Many of the businesses and organizations were on hand hoping to inspire young people to join their professions. “Maybe I can inspire the next generation of firefighters today,” said Mr. Soliz.