Future Ready AHS from a Student

By Caleb Grawe, Ames High School Student

One of the biggest parts of a high school student’s life is confusion. Between keeping up with an endless stream of classwork and balancing school with a home and social life, our developing brains face decisions that should be beyond our purview on an almost daily basis. But looming above all other responsibilities and obligations is the most intimidating question of our young lives: What am I going to do after this? The opportunities available (especially at a place like Ames) can be daunting, and add lots of strain to our already hectic lives. This challenge is especially hard for those students who aren’t sure what career path they want to take, which is honestly most of us. And our high school classes, or at least the vast majority of them, are not quite as career focused as some would like to believe. But two years ago, when the Career Fair was introduced, the way that we saw the post-high school job search changed a little. The Career Fair offered a medium for students to interact with real people in various, viable careers, and learn more about their options in a less intimidating way. Although the logistics of the first Career Fair were a little shaky, its value to the students was obvious. The next year things were a lot smoother, and a lot of students came out of it more informed and less tentative about their futures outside of school. I remember walking through the media center, scanning the various booths of companies, each bustling with students, when I saw one of my hockey coaches at a booth. When I went over to say hi, I ended up learning some interesting things about the company he worked for, and how other similar career paths could be very beneficial. And upon discussing the Fair with some friends, I found that I wasn’t the only one whose perspective was widened by the experience. While most school functions like this are dismissed and taken for granted by students, I think this one actually had an impact on the student body as a whole. We’d like to thank the business community for their continued support of Ames High students, and look forward to seeing the many businesses that are coming to show us even more opportunities that we have after high school. We hope to see many of you on October 17!