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A Spotlight on Careers for Eighth Graders

A Spotlight on Careers for Eighth Graders

The attire was professional and the questions were thoughtful at Seaford Middle School’s annual Career Day on March 13. Eighth graders gained insight into a wide variety of fields through meaningful dialogue with experts. 

There were 75 presenters total, with four or five at each table. The professionals were grouped together by industry, such as business and finance, communications, education, emergency services, health care, the legal sector and trades. With three sessions, students got to hear about multiple careers and were assigned tables based on interest forms they filled out in advance of the event. 

Career Day was organized by eighth grade English language arts teachers Carin Hoy and Jennifer McCrystal. The presenters were mostly parents of current and former middle school students. Many have returned year after year, even though their children have graduated, but there were also new visitors this year including a comic book artist. 

“I loved talking to the adults about their professions and it was nice to get their views on what they do,” said eighth grader Mateo Perez, who visited the disability services, education, and media and marketing tables.  

Mateo asked the professionals why they chose their respective careers and what they do on a daily basis. He also said he got some tips that would be beneficial in any career like time management.  

Brielle Garcia gained insight into architectural design, business and finance, and the fire department. She said she is now interested in possible careers in interior design or event planning. 

“I really enjoyed how we got to see what the adults do on a daily basis and you could kind of picture yourself doing that when you get older,” she said. “It really gave me a glimpse of what my future could look like.” 

Students were encouraged to dress as they would for a job interview. Following Career Day, they wrote thank-you cards to the presenters and will also create resumés and cover letters for a dream job. 

Ms. Hoy, who has been organizing Career Day for more than 20 years, is retiring at the end of the school year and is very proud of its long-standing success. She noted that many Seaford graduates have gone on to pursue careers they first learned about at their eighth grade Career Day. Every year, she explained, the students have been very focused and organized, and asked great questions of the presenters.  

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