PEARCY -- The Lake Hamilton School District, in partnership with The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce/Hot Springs Metro Partnership and Dawson Education Cooperative, is currently holding its annual Draft Day event on campus in Wolf Arena.
The two-day event, which ends today, gives students a chance to meet with local businesses and gain real-life experience within the job hunting process.
With 52 employers present, all 1,400 students in attendance are given ample opportunity to explore diverse career paths and find where they might fit best. Twenty different schools, including home-schooled groups, are present.
Students have been preparing for Draft Day well in advance of the event.
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"Specifically at Lake Hamilton, a lot of our students got to go through mock interviews," Amanda Porter, Lake Hamilton's career and technical education facilitator, said. "We had all of our students put together resumes. Through our advisory classes our advisers, kind of our homeroom teachers, went over exactly what they needed to prepare for today."
Students learned key skills such as arriving in appropriate dress, how to talk to business professionals, and knowing what kind of questions they should be asking.
Draft Day is open to junior and senior students. "The hope is that our juniors know what is in their backyard, what opportunities are available in the workforce, what the workforce needs are, and potentially get internships," Porter said.
"For our seniors, the hope is they are making connections and networking regardless of what direction they are going to go," she said.
"These kids are three to four weeks away from graduation; reality is coming at some of them at a rapid pace," Gary Troutman, president and CEO of the chamber and HSMP, said. "A lot of what they have been doing has been in the classroom, and to some degree, hypothetical at this point. Reality takes place today."
Local business vendors are at Draft Day not only to provide job opportunities, but to guide students in the next phases of their academic and career lives. The city of Hot Springs booth, hosted by Alisha Gruszka and Michael Eaton, aims to gear students in the right direction.
To Eaton, the best part of the event is hearing about all of the students' "great hopes and dreams" and "seeing all of the smiling faces."
In addition, three young men who attended Draft Day last year as students are now sitting on the other end of the vendor table representing their company, M3 Services.
Westin Maddox, Haydn Yancey, and Hunter Wells' interest in the job opening was initially piqued by the opportunity to make more money, but they have since developed life skills they can carry on wherever they go.
"It's really taught me patience and respect, a lot of things that I didn't know I needed," Yancey said. "My best advice is don't be afraid to ask."
Another vendor present includes local recruitment members of the Army, who hope to bring inclusivity to the table.
"I get to help people who maybe didn't have a great upbringing or the future success that other people have handed to them. We can offer them opportunities and that's what I love about the job," Sgt. Austin Shawn said.
Students test out their strength ability at the Marines tent. (The Sentinel-Record/Donald Cross)
Draft Day is hosting 52 different employers from a vast variety of career focuses. (The Sentinel-Record/Donald Cross)