By Velarchana Santhana and Consuelo Mendoza

On February 26, West High held its first job and volunteer fair where students were able to talk to possible employers and discover new ways to get involved in the community.

Amy Winslow, an organizer of the fair, was inspired by a local study about youth and their needs. Through the fair students were able to access job and volunteer information, which helped the youth become more informed and explore different opportunities within their community.

“The reason we wanted to do this fair was to make it easier for employers and services to connect with teenagers. It is often hard for students to find time to go all the way to businesses so we wanted to hold this event right here at school to give students better access,” Winslow said.

Employers see the benefits as well.

“[The fair] is a great way for students to meet a lot of new employers all at one time and it gives the students an opportunity to see what is out there for them,” said Chris Wright, a representative Hartig Drug.

Autumn Svoboda ’16 attended the fair and was impressed by how many opportunites her own community had to offer.

“It’s important to get involved in the community, and the fair showed me all the possibilities I have around me,” Svoboda said.

Megan Introna ’14 was a part of the fair working as a representative of Old Navy at their table.

“[The fair] is good because it gives students the opportunity to meet with possible employers and to explore different careers,” Introna said.