Curious about future careers? Cibola High School students just explored them.
More than 320 ninth graders turned out for Cibola’s inaugural Freshman Career Fair on April 15. The school held the career fair in its concourse. It partnered with Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce as part of the Albuquerque Public School’s (APS) Freshman Academies initiative.
“This is our third and final Freshman Academies Career Fair of the year,’ said Melodee Saiz, APS Business Community Liaison for Career and Technical Education and Career Connected Learning. “We started the year with Highland High School, then went on to Manzano, and now we’re at Cibola.”
Saiz said she was hired to “build new relationships, get our community involved … and truly build those partnerships.” She has been with APS for two and a half years.
Freshman Academies are designed to move away from traditional classroom models toward team-based, career-oriented environments for ninth graders. Programs currently operate at Cibola, Highland, and Manzano high schools. APS plans to expand the initiative to six additional high schools next year.
Inside the Career Fair
Cibola’s Freshman Career Fair featured a diverse mix of community businesses and organizations. Participants include UNM Colleges of Engineering, Pharmacy, and Architecture & Planning; Presbyterian Hospital; Sage Truck Driving Schools; and even Por Vida Tattoo.
Erik Contreras, Director of Community and Business Development for the Hispano Chamber of Commerce, enthusiastically highlighted the importance of community initiatives.
“The Hispano Chamber has over 1,400 members, and we focus on education and economic development,” he said. “We thought we’d help make an impact for the schools. It’s really about helping the kids early on to get on a career path.”
Presbyterian Hospital offered one of the most popular career options. Table organizers led an interactive activity for freshmen. Organizers arranged six CPR manikins in a circle as a team leader guided students through CPR compression exercises.
The Career Expo focused on careers of the future. For Cibola freshman Michael Jaramillo, it was an opportunity to add another practical skill, like CPR, to his current toolbox.
“It’s nice to know that, in case something happens to somebody you know, you can help them because now you know how to do it,” he said.