The Sunriver Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the second annual Three Rivers Middle School Career Exploration Lunch on Thursday, May 9 at SHARC.
The lunch was attended by 150 and 75 adults.
Students enjoyed a lunch provided by Bleu Bite Catering and listened to guest speaker Morgan Schmidt’s presentation where she asked students answer several questions including, “Would they rather… be outside or inside all day; be around technology or unplug; figure out the details or focus on the big picture; and do one thing they are an expert at or learn things all the time.”
The executive director of the Central & Eastern Oregon Red Cross, Schmidt shared middle school is the time for students to start thinking about who they want to be rather than what they want to be. She encouraged them to consider ‘what impact they want to have; what are their strengths and interests; what excites them and what changes to they want to make or what makes them angry?”
After Schmidt’s presentation, the students rotated to three areas of their career interests. The stations were agricultural and natural resources, arts and communications, computer science, construction, education, engineering, health services, hospitality, and public safety.
The chamber hosts the career lunch to promote career education, providing students with an opportunity to begin to consider their career interests.
“The goal of the lunch is not for students to leave knowing what career they want to do,” Executive Director Kristine Thomas said. “Instead, it’s a chance for them to start thinking about what their interests are and to be able to talk with adults about their careers.”
Thomas added she is greatly appreciative of the support from volunteers who talked with students about their careers and the businesses and individuals who supported the event.