Caddo holds GEAR UP Career Fair

Caddo High School students looked toward life after graduation Thursday as five career speakers talked to students about their fields for a Career Fair.

The fair was sponsored by the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Partnership as part of a career mini-grant program for the month of November, which is National Career Month. Patty Hall, Caddo GEAR UP Site Coordinator and High School Librarian, along with English teacher Susan White, coordinated the fair.

Firefighter Steve Kelso, Television Journalist Erin Knight, Business Owner Mike Daniel, Banker Todd Miller and Oklahoma State Trooper Alan Murray gave students a real-life lesson in their fields.

Students enjoyed the experience, White said.

“Career Fairs give them a variety of occupational experiences to hear about first-hand, and that helps them stay focused on their school work and their future plans,” she said.

The SOSU GEAR UP Partnership is a federally grant funded program that serves 1,852 eleventh- and twelfth-graders in 14 schools in Bryan, Choctaw and McCurtain counties. The schools are: Achille, Bennington, Boswell, Broken Bow, Caddo, Calera, Colbert, Durant, Fort Towson, Hugo, Rock Creek, Silo, Soper and Valliant.

For more information on GEAR UP, call (580) 745-3122 or visit www.se.edu/gearup.