POST FALLS - Tanner Hildebrand had a hunch that he wanted to pursue a law enforcement career.

Wednesday's "Reverse Job Fair" added the exclamation point to that thought.

The Post Falls High student was among 210 seniors from his school, New Vision High and Genesis Prep Academy who chatted at Real Life Ministries with 187 professionals about their career desires.

"It makes me want to pursue a law enforcement career even more," said Hildebrand, who plans to join the Air Force and specialize in security operations.

Dave Beck, a Post Falls police detective, was among those who interviewed Hildebrand.

"In law enforcement, we're looking for good decision-makers," Beck said.

Beck said he wishes such events would have been available in the late '80s when he went to high school.

"This is a great foundation," Beck said. "We've planted seeds."

Post Falls High senior Elizabeth Peterson plans to pursue a career in hospitality business management. She's part of the Resort Academy through the Kootenai Technical Education Campus (KTEC) and obtains work experience at The Coeur d'Alene Resort as a result.

The job fair, presented by the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce's Business, Education and Workforce Development Committee, gave her even more insight into the field, she said.

"It has really put me into a position to be ready to step into the field and feel comfortable with it," Peterson said. "I love talking to people and seeing how their day is."

Post Falls' Kara Gilligan, who plans to major in photography and attend North Idaho College, said she learned it's a good idea to have an understanding of business if you're a photographer.

"I heard that a lot of photographers go out of business because they don't know the business side," she said.

Nils Rosdahl, a business columnist for The Press and former journalism professor at NIC, was among those who visited with Gilligan.

"When you show skill and ambition, you can become a photo editor (at the student newspaper)," Rosdahl told Gilligan. "The photo editor gets a full scholarship and you also get to be a boss."

Many of the students participated in the fair for their senior project graduation requirement. A total of $9,000 in scholarships provided by area businesses and organizations were given during the event.

Sabrina Gonder, a holistic health coach, was an interviewer at the event for the first time. She said she was "blown away" by the professionalism the students showed.

"This gives you hope for the generation coming up," Gonder said. "They were enthusiastic about their career paths."

• Here are the scholarship winners and corresponding donors from the Reverse Job Fair:

* North Idaho College, $1,000; Emily Christensen, Genesis Prep

* North Idaho College, $1,000; Devin Dresser, Post Falls High

* North Idaho Manufacturing Consortium, $1,000; Kalyla Glasgow, Post Falls High

* Kootenai Health, $500; Christina Duran, Post Falls High

* Post Falls Chamber of Commerce, $500; Syndee Hancock, Post Falls High

* Post Falls Chamber River City Leadership Academy, $500; Justin White, Post Falls High

* STCU, $500; Moesha Gray, Post Falls High

* North Idaho Higher Education, $500; Colton Gardner, Post Falls High

* Idaho Forest Group, $500; Nicole Dutton, Post Falls High

* Post Falls School District, $500; Amy Nelson, Post Falls High

* Express Employment Professionals, $500; Jordan Hargrave, Post Falls High

* Local 2856 Firefighters, $500; Jacob Driscoll, Post Falls High

* Local 2856 Firefighters, $500, Ryan Chisum, Genesis Prep

* Post Falls Rotary, $250; Megan Garber, Post Falls High

* Century Publishing gave a total of $625 for Best Buy gift cards for the finalists