Texas Border Business
PHARR – Over 2,200 students attended the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD 5th Grade Career Fair March 2-3, 2020 at the Pharr Events Center.
“We offer the Career Fair to our fifth-grade students so they can get awareness and understanding of future and potential pathways and careers. They get to see what people on the outside world do, their jobs and what is required of them to be in that profession,” said PSJA Elementary Lead Counselor at Dr. Long Elementary Loretta Sanchez.
According to Sanchez, the students are excited about this opportunity to interact with professionals they do not normally get to see or talk to on a daily basis.
Some of the entities in attendance included: Melyssa Anne Photography, IBC Bank, Texas Department of Public Safety, Allstate by Ignacio Puente, The Tooth Place RGV, Little Heroes Pediatric Dentistry, Hope Family Health Center, The Salon by Instyle in JCPenny, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, County Commissioner Precinct 2 Eduardo Cantu, Hidalgo County Juvenile Probation Officer Rene Valencia, Asst. Criminal District Attorney Joseph L. Orendain, Justice of the Peace Precinct 2, Place 2 Jaime P. Muñoz, several Colleges & Universities, and PSJA’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs such as Cosmetology, Electrical, Robotics, Business Management, Health Science, EMT, TV Production and Agriculture.
“Community partners came together to collaborate and make sure we have a variety of career pathways for our students,” said PSJA Counseling and Guidance Director Gina Saenz. “We also promote the different endorsements that students may select once they reach high school.”
PSJA Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jorge L. Arredondo thanked the various agencies, teachers, and staff for putting this event together.
“Our goal at PSJA ISD is to expose our students early to the gamut of career programs available to them,” said Dr. Arredondo. “We have specialty academies, institutes, and coursework focusing on preparing our youth for their future profession. This is another way to make these connections earlier. Thank you to our team and partners for making this event a reality.”
