On October 19, 2022, all of the freshmen students filled the Convention Center with the sounds of chatter and laughter. Every year, the Convention Center is home to My Future, My Journey, an exhibit designed to give freshmen the opportunity to visit booths with different businesses and to start brainstorming ideas for their future career path. 

As I walked around, I observed lots of students who had no clue as to what career path they wanted to go down. Few of the freshmen students immediately knew what booth they wanted to go to, so most meandered, stopping at random stalls as they caught their eye. For the most part, they were mainly excited to be away from school grounds. Even this early in the year, cabin fever had its claws in the students.

When I was a freshman, I only had a handful of booths to look at, but to my pleasant surprise, this year, there were so many more stalls it was almost overwhelming. I did not know where to turn or to start.  Like me, the students also seemed to be very intrigued by what was going on around them. So many booths to choose from, so little time. Everyone quickly spread out and ventured on their own. 

Within a short time, I observed a change in the freshmen. They had initially just been excited to escape their classrooms, but as they walked around, they started to really engage with the different representatives for different professional groups. The representatives came prepared with lots of interactive activities. One of the most popular booths was the one run by the Hampton Police Department. They let students practice fingerprinting techniques, and the students responded by asking really good questions about the establishments. 

One student who spoke with me, James, shared he was interested in the fire department. This caught me off guard because I’ve never heard anyone really interested in going into that field. He talked about how he sees himself either going into action or working dispatch, which is basically receiving calls and sending the fire fighters out. He also mentioned the service they did for others was amazing, and he’d feel like he’s playing a major part in saving others lives, giving him the inspiration to chase that dream.

As I continued to interview students, I came across one freshman, whose confident demeanor made him stand out. Not only did he have a clear idea of what he wanted to do – songwriting and marketing, he also had at least two other backup plans. He spoke with so much confidence as if he had deeply known he’d be there doing that. No matter what career he discussed, he did so with passion and self-assuredness. He also said that he’d be working for the money and also the love for his job. 

Time just flew by. When they announced the end of the event, it felt like we had just arrived. While on the bus ride back, I reflected on my own experience at the same event three years ago. I almost felt like a freshman again. This year’s My future, My journey was a success. It gave students the confidence and information to start pursuing their dreams. Their next step will be choosing their Academy pathway, a pathway that will help them acquire skills for not just that one career, but many others. In future, I would love to see even more businesses at the Convention Center.