More than 40 local businesses and organizations participated in the 2023 Sherman High School Career Expo Thursday, February 23, bringing together current and future professionals.

“This gives students an opportunity to see what’s available here in the county to them,” said Jeff Chancellor, Coordinator of Career and Military Workforce Development. “Students network with these businesses to see what they’re offering currently and what careers are available after once they graduate.”

For juniors, the expo provides an introduction to which employers are recruiting in the area, and it also highlights how their Career and Technical Education course pathways are preparing them for the future.

“We try to match businesses to our pathways, and we inform students in those pathways which businesses closely match their pathway,” Chancellor said. “We try to invite as many businesses as possible that align with our pathways.”

For seniors only three months from graduation, the reality of life after high school is closer. In addition to industry-specific knowledge, companies are looking for candidates with excellent soft skills such as interpersonal communication.

“Students received a list of all the organizations participating and did research to ask them questions, like an interview,” Chancellor said. “It gives a little direction to the event and applies some of those employability skills as well.”

Kyndal Aiken, Texoma Medical Center Human Resources recruiter, said the expo was a good way to strengthen the hospital’s partnership with the school and to build networks with future healthcare professionals.

“Sherman has a great program for health science,” Aiken said. “It’s important to come out and build upon that relationship, and with how Sherman is building up their students, it’s great we can take out the reins from there.”

Aiken said she wished her high school had offered opportunities like SHS and encouraged students to explore what was available to them.

“Sherman is setting students up for success ,” Aiken said. “It’s good to say we have opportunities that include what students are doing in school, and then TMC continues that growth outside of school.”

Senior Omar Meza is pursuing a healthcare career and will attend Texas State University in the fall. After seeing the wide variety of healthcare employers, he learned most careers go through the same basic education before specializing in only a few college courses.

“I’ve learned about a lot of other careers I could follow instead of just nursing,” he said.“Neuroscience or radiology are pretty interesting to look into.”

There are also more healthcare careers available locally than Meza originally thought, and he said it was likely he would come back after graduating from his university.

“I do want to stay close to family, and I’ll work here for a little while,” Meza said. “Maybe after that, I’ll branch out and experience life in my own way.”