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Reese the dog helps a group of students learn about conservation police careers.

The STEM Career Fair took place Monday, April 4. There were over 45 career booths and each one had a specialist in the area. Students of all ages learned about different careers. This provided real information on what life is really like for each job. Eighth grader Shirin Kaussler visited the news reporters at the WHSV booth.

“I learned that [the news reporter at] WHSV wakes up at 2:00am and starts recording at five. She goes to bed at seven. I would be very tired if I had to wake up that early. It’s a lot of work,” Kaussler said.

Allowing students of all ages to attend gave younger people an opportunity to start thinking about their career. A lot of students only know a handful of careers that exist. The STEM Career Fair presented many different life choices and pathways available to them. Eighth grader Maryam Hussein also attended the STEM event.

“I got to learn about different complex STEM related jobs in Harrisonburg. I learned the details about certain jobs instead of ones we see everyday. There are many different jobs within STEM, if you want to go into a STEM pathway,” Hussein said.

There was a wide variation of careers including psychology, physical therapy and meteorology. Freshman Lucas Swartz is interested in psychology and spoke to Randy Hook, a therapist who runs his own business.

“I really enjoyed how I was able to get quality advice on how I can pursue psychology in the future. The advice was that I should follow my passion and always do what I want,” Swartz said.

Freshman Eleanor Carter is also interested in a career in psychology.

“I enjoyed career STEM night because I got to learn about a lot of fields, other than the one that I have the most interest in,” Carter said.

Lexi Zucco is a college student who is studying to be a dietician. She takes a variety of classes including biochemistry and cooking classes.

“[Biochemistry is] learning how your body works on a molecular level. In our cooking classes we learn how to cook a meal that is balanced and has variety,” Zucco said. “We actually do serve people meals once a week to provide nutrition education such as what the components are of the meal and how they help your body function better.”