Riverside High School students explored their options for life after graduation at the school’s third annual career fair. Assistant Principal Becky Rowell-Malinas said that 93 students signed up for the April 11 fair, which for the first time included juniors as well as seniors. They could speak w ith around 20 employers representing a variety of internship and career options. Junior Thomas Lintic found it interesting to learn about potential options for his future. A lot of the opportunities also seemed lucrative. “It gives a lot of perspective as to what you might want to focus towards,” Lintic said. Fellow junior Christofer Petrovic appreciated the opportunity to meet employers in-person. A lot of the jobs he learned about involved machine work. “I thought this would be a great way to get in touch with the community and see what people are offering,” Petrovic said. Students meet with employers in the Riverside High School Field House for the school’s April 11 Junior and Senior Career Fair. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald) One of the companies Petrovic spoke with was WyattWorks Plumbing. Company representative Joshua Wyatt said that the fair had “really good energy.” He described meeting the students as “inspiring and amazing,” and said that the school staff had been “fantastic.” “It’s nice to see kids that are potentially interested in the trades and all these other things,” he said. “So yeah, it’s been great.” The Armed Forces also sent representatives to the career fair. U.S. Army Career Counselor Billy Kong said that he appreciates career fairs because students are “wanting to do something.” “So if they want to do something, especially after high school, they will ask all the right questions,” Kong said. “Most places, they will ask generic questions, but over here, they’re asking life-altering questions.” Over at the Painesville Township Fire Department’s table, students had a chance to talk about the fire service and meet K-9 Theo. “It’s good to see high school kids getting interested in the fire service,” said Assistant Fire Chief Gordon Thompson. “That’s what we need. It’s tough to recruit people nowadays, so the earlier we can get them interested, the better off we are.” Painesville Township Assistant Fire Chief Gordon Thompson and K-9 Theo greet students at Riverside High School’s Junior and Senior Career Fair on April 11. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald) The school chose to include juniors in this year’s fair so they would consider their career plans and the jobs in which they have interests or skills, Rowell-Malinas said. Companies at last year’s fair also requested that juniors attend because the companies had internships. The previous two fairs were for seniors only. Students worked on resumes, interviews and job skills in their English or Auburn Academy classes, Rowell-Malinas said. Staff discussed the questions that students would be asked in interviews, as well as the questions that they should ask potential employers. Some students came into the fair hoping to interview companies. “The biggest goal is that our students enhance their interview skills, they learn about different jobs, careers, opportunities that are out there for them,” she said. “These businesses here today are here because they care about our students, they care about Riverside and they’re really hoping that some of these students find interest in their business.” ...read more read less