Allie Civils reads a mock weather forecast during the Anchorage School District Career Expo held at the Denaina Civic and Convention Center on October 4, 2024. (Tim Lockey/Alaska Public Media)
Bette Davis East High School freshman Allie Civils stands in front of a teleprompter and gives a mock weather forecast at the Anchorage School District Career Expo held Oct. 4 at the Denaina Civic and Convention Center. I was reading it out loud.
“Hello, Alaska. I’m Allie, the meteorologist, broadcasting live from the ASD Career Expo here in downtown Anchorage,” Civils said. “It will be 48 degrees Fahrenheit and quite cloudy in Cordova.”
Like other freshmen in the Anchorage School District, Civils looked around the Denaina Center to see what jobs she might be interested in in Alaska. She said the career interest survey inspired her to pursue broadcasting.
She was one of about 3,000 Anchorage ninth-graders who applied to the expo and wanted to learn more about potential careers in Alaska as part of the district’s new Anchorage Academy program .
“As soon as I saw it, I was like, ‘Oh, I really want to do that,’ and it looked so great, and it was, and I’m so glad I realized that,” Civils said. “It helps me know that it’s okay to not know right now because there are more options here than I actually thought. There are so many things you can do.”
This year’s expo is the first of what is planned as an annual event, and district officials said they hope to have more businesses participate next year. The district launched a career academy program this year in an effort to improve graduation rates. The new Freshman Academy Career Exploration classes are designed to expose students to a variety of careers and begin up to four years of career-focused instruction. As part of their course assignment, students were required to complete a worksheet detailing the potential careers they learned about at the expo.
The room was filled with more than 100 booths from local businesses from construction and resource development, health care, law enforcement and military branches.
The Western States Council of Carpenters booth had one of the longest lines at the expo. Students were given a chance to win a gift card by recording the fastest time while driving a nail or drilling a screw.
Tyler Socaras said he feels very comfortable holding a hammer in his hand and is already interested in carpentry.
Students Elizabeth Burge and Tyler Socarlas compete to see who can drive a nail the fastest during the Anchorage School District Career Expo held at the Denaina Civic and Convention Center on Oct. 4, 2024 ( Tim Rockey/Alaska Public Media)
“It’s to seek a better future for myself,” Socarras said.
Socarras said he is also considering joining the military.
By far the most popular booth at the expo was the flight simulator. Dozens of students lined up, held the airplane’s controls, and experienced what it was like to land. Dimond College freshman Joseph Maynard remained cool and collected in the cockpit of the de Havilland Beaver. He said flight simulators are a valuable tool for aspiring pilots.
“If you’re trying to land and there’s a crosswind, this helps you fly wisely, but it can be very difficult for some novice pilots,” Maynard said.
Dimond College freshman Joseph Maynard uses a flight simulator during the Anchorage School District Career Expo held at the Denaina Civic and Convention Center on Oct. 4, 2024. (Tim Lockey/Alaska Public Media)
Maynard was already interested in a career in aviation and used his time in the simulator to hone his takeoff and landing skills, landing at Merrill Field. Given enough time and training, Maynard hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and build a career as a pilot.
Tim Rockey is the producer of Alaska News Nightly and the director of education for Alaska Public Media. Contact attrockey@alaskapublic.orgor 907-550-8487. Read more about Timhere.
