Vanier Collegiate, part of the Holy Trinity Catholic School Division (HTCSD), held its annual 'Find Your Path' Post-Secondary and Career Event on Oct. 23, with 18 programs from across the province represented to give students and parents concrete ideas for the future.
The event was open to all students, parents, and community members from Moose Jaw and surrounding areas, and was mandatory for Vanier's Grade 11 and 12 students.
Christa Lapointe, a career counsellor at Vanier who helped to organize, said the event is a great way for students to explore potential career pathways and post-secondary options ranging from trade schools, to colleges and universities, or simply entering straight into the workforce.
"It is a great event, especially for Grade 11s, so they can be more mindful when they are registering for classes," Lapointe said, "and Grade 12s, some of whom are applying for school this month. We do this event every year to help students and parents learn about the unlimited possibilities for options after high school. It can be overwhelming at times, but this is a great way to get the conversation going."
Aleqsa Aquino, a Grade 12 Vanier student, said the career fair was immediately interesting to her because she's spent a lot of time recently exploring different post-secondary options by attending university open houses.
"Two of them that caught my eye are Sask Polytech and the U of R," Aquino explained. "I went to the Sask Polytech session first and got to learn more about their processes, and then I went to the U of R session and learned a lot more about their school, their admission processes, and all their programs.
"Right now, I'm planning on doing probably a two-year diploma at Sask Poly in Business Information Systems, and then hopefully transferring that credit to the U of R and getting a bachelor's in computer science."
"I've always had an interest in law enforcement and the military, so I really just wanted to get as much information on that as I could," said Wayne Bauleck, also in Grade 12. Bauluck was able to attend information sessions at booths from both the RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces.
"Everything can always change, but I'm leaning towards mechanics, which is something I've always had an interest in. So, I was going to into Aviation Systems Technician (in the CAF), and I'd be working on planes, so I'd use the military as a base, and then I was going to go to the RCMP after that, but just start with the military to get a career I can rely on."
The hope is that such topics of discussion continue at home and in the classroom. Students who are aware of the impacts of their current studies on their future, and who have specific career goals to work toward, tend to show more engagement than otherwise.
The Vanier event also included a one-hour session specifically to answer questions from parents.
"I hope to plan a larger evening event next year that could include the whole city and all high schools," Lapointe added.
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