NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will welcome eighth grade students from seven Berkshire County schools on Thursday, June 2, and Friday, June 3, when they attend the Fifth Annual Eighth Grade Career Fair in Bowman Hall on the MCLA campus.
Eighth graders from Abbott Memorial School in Florida, BArT Charter School in Adams and Hoosac Valley High School in Cheshire will attend the Fair on June 2. After a welcome address at 8:45 a.m. in the Venable Gym, the students will attend two workshops in Bowman Hall, from 9:05 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and from 9:35 a.m. to 10:05 a.m.
Students who are in the eighth grade at Herberg Middle School in Pittsfield also will participate that same day in a second session, 9:45-11:30 a.m.
On June 3, eighth grade students from Drury High School in North Adams and Nessacus Regional Middle School in Dalton will come to MCLA to attend the Fair, 8:45-10:05 a.m. They will be followed that day by students from the John T. Reid Middle School in Pittsfield, who will participate from 9:45 to 11:30 a.m.
Career fair helps students understand choices
Funded in part by a $7,500 grant from the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America in Pittsfield, and sponsored by MCLA and the Berkshire Compact for Education, the Fair will help students learn about different types of jobs and careers so that they can make informed decisions about course selection in high school and begin to think about higher education and a career.
According to Jake Eberwein, dean of Graduate and Continuing Education, “MCLA is pleased to partner with Guardian Life and many community organizations as part of the Berkshire Compact effort to raise aspirations among county students and, in doing so, further advance our region as a place to live, work, and play.”
The Fair will include a motivational video from the state’s “WOW Initiative,” to introduce students to career opportunities within the, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.
Each student also will attend two workshops of their choice, which will be led by local employers, as well as high school and college faculty. The 19 career workshops include those in education, forensics, journalism, law enforcement, culinary arts, health care, law, engineering, advanced manufacturing and green technology.
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is the Commonwealth’s public liberal arts college and a campus of the Massachusetts state university system. MCLA promotes excellence in learning and teaching, innovative scholarship, intellectual creativity, public service, applied knowledge, and active and responsible citizenship. MCLA graduates are prepared to be practical problem solvers and engaged, resilient global citizens.
For more information, go to www.mcla.edu.
