Darren Heffelfinger, a senior at Tamaqua Area, said this summer he's going into the Marines; Danielle Gordon, a senior at Pottsville Area, said that, after graduation, she's going to work hard to become a nurse; and Bailee Daniels, a senior at Pottsville Area, said she's going to study science.
"I want to pursue a career in marine biology. I love marine animals," Daniels said Wednesday.
They were among the more than 900 students from 11 area high schools who attended the 6th Annual Schuylkill County Career Fair on Wednesday at Martz Hall, a three-hour event held from 9 a.m. to noon. And they discussed their prospective career paths while mingling and collecting information on area businesses, schools and organizations.
"I really thought I was just going to look around a bit. I wanted to see what was going on because my career choice is kind of odd for this area," Daniels said.
There were 55 vendors, and she and Gordon visited tables set up by McCann's School of Business and Technology, Pottsville, and one school where Gordon plans to study, the Joseph F. McCloskey School of Nursing at Schuylkill Health in Pottsville.
"It was kind of cool seeing my school here. I'm enrolled already. I applied and was accepted in January. I'm going to study a year at Penn State Schuylkill, then I'll study the next two years at the McCloskey School. I want to be an RN," Gordon said.
"I think there's a good bit of variety here," Gordon said.
"You've got schools, and you've got places you can go out to work, too. Then, there's organizations you can learn about," Daniels said.
There are usually about 35 vendors at the event. This year, the organizer, the Northeast PA Manufacturers and Employers Council, partnered with representatives of Schuylkill County's Youth Summit and additional county, civic and volunteer organizations were invited to set up information booths.
These "quality of life" organizations set up their tables on the top floor of Martz Hall, just behind the bleachers.
They included the Schuylkill Conservation District, Schuylkill County's VISION, the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce, Schuylkill United Way, the Walk-In Arts Center, Schuylkill Haven, and the Schuylkill County Fire Service.
"Safety was one of the issues which came up at the Youth Summit. So we made sure to have representatives from law enforcement and different emergency management organizations," Courtney Fasnacht, director of workforce development at the Northeast PA Manufacturers and Employers Council, said.
At the dedication ceremony at the start of the event, Darlene J. Robbins, president of the Northeast PA Manufacturers and Employers Council, was joined by Jeffrey S. Zwiebel, superintendent of Pottsville Area School District, and two of the Schuylkill County Commissioners, Gary J. Hess and George F. Halcovage Jr.
Schools participating included Blue Mountain, Mahanoy Area, North Schuylkill, Pine Grove, Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29, Shenandoah Valley, Tamaqua Area, Williams Valley and Wyoming Valley West.