Standing out from the crowd
ELLI GOLDMAN HILBERT | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 10 months AGO
Post Falls High School senior Kyler Frey discusses the construction industry with Jeryl Archer, Division Chief of Prevention and Fire Marshall with Kootenai County Fire & Rescue, at the reverse job fair held at Real Life Ministries, Wednesday in Post Falls.
ELLI GOLDMAN HILBERT/Press
While most students at the Chamber of Commerce reverse job fair created a cardboard tri-fold display to demonstrate their career aspirations, New Vision Alternative High School senior Charlotte Shepherd, constructed a rotating wooden display highlighting her goal of teaching high school history.
Shayne Ellis, an aspiring zookeeper from Post Falls High School, speaks with Kate Bowerman, a retired Spokane science teacher, Wednesday at the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce reverse job fair. The annual event meets graduation/ senior project requirements and is an opportunity for students to professionally present their knowledge of and aspirations toward future careers.
Aspiring science teacher Abigail Jeffreys waits confidently for a local business professional to interview her, at the Post Falls Chamber of commerce reverse job fair, Wednesday at Real Life Ministries.
POST FALLS — The Real Life Ministries auditorium hosted over 250 high school seniors for the 15th annual Post Falls Chamber of Commerce reverse job fair on Wednesday.
Some students, dressed in suits and wearing ties, were nervous but armed with knowledge. They stood ready to discuss their chosen career paths with volunteer business professionals.
Jeryl Archer, fire marshal with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, said interviewing students is a must. He has participated for 15 years in a row.
“I think it’s important to help the students in any way that we can,” Archer said. “To give them the experience of talking about themselves, to give them more confidence in talking about fields that they’re interested in.”
Post Falls High School senior Kyler Frey was interested in construction.
He has worked with Kootenai Lakes Drywall during summer vacations and enjoyed the energy of the job site, he said.
“Sometimes it was hard, but the people working in the construction area made it a pretty cool place,” Frey said.
Students prepared a trifold display, a résumé and a website to be judged. Each was guaranteed at least four interviews.
New Vision High School senior Charlotte Shepherd designed a rotating wooden structure representing her ambition to teach high school history. Meaningful quotes and historical images decorated each panel.
“I’ve interviewed three different Holocaust survivors. That’s what really got me going was studying the Holocaust,” Shepherd said. “History is the thing that makes our future.”
Shepherd sees similarities between what is happening currently in Ukraine and what happened during the Holocaust.
“I’m seeing patterns of control over a population,” Shepherd said. “I think we can keep track of the patterns and maybe end it in some way.”
Students are judged by a panel of 12. More than $23,500 in scholarships will be awarded. Since the reverse job fair's inception, local businesses have donated more than $138,000, said Christina Petit, Post Falls Chamber president.
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