Fisher, Rochester Education Foundation Host Future Fair

On Friday, Oct. 11, the inaugural Future Fair brought 600 seventh grade students from the Rochester City School District (RCSD) to campus for an empowering, career-focused day. The event was cohosted by St. John Fisher University’s Institute for Civic and Community Engagement and the Rochester Education Foundation (REF).

The Future Fair featured 70 career models, including firefighters, entrepreneurs, CEOs and company presidents, doctors, and more. The career models shared their experience in their professions and the path that led them to their current careers. Twenty Fisher student volunteers also shared their experiences from high school and their time in college.

“The goal of the Future Fair was to expose seventh graders from RCSD to a variety of different people with careers that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to meet. The dynamic career models who enjoy their jobs, are financially independent, and give back to the community were also able to engage with students at Fisher,” said Amy Stein, executive director of REF. “Also, because of the service of amazing students from Fisher, the seventh graders met college students who love what they are doing.”

With the overwhelming number of students in attendance, the Institute and REF planners drafted multiple game plans for organizing and running the event. On the day, the team pivoted to ensure students could maximize their time with the career models and explore fields that interested them most.

“Despite the difficulties and changes, we still accomplished what was most important: for seventh grade students to learn and explore future careers with enthusiasm and interest,” said Marissa Terech, a junior Service Scholar and student volunteer at the Future Fair.

Terech was responsible for guiding, inspiring, and supporting the seventh grade students as they attended the event while simultaneously ensuring that things were running smoothly. Student volunteers welcomed students coming off the bus, explained directions to chaperones and students, and led students to their section of career tables.

Terech emphasized the enthusiasm that came from the seventh graders, noting that each of them seemed appreciative of the opportunity to speak to people in different professions.

“They felt cool to be on a college campus and had big dreams,” Terech said. “A lot of them didn’t know much about what career they wanted to pursue, so this event was very informative for them. I shared with them [my] experiences at Fisher as well as my career ideas.”

Terech is already thinking about ways to strengthen the Future Fair next year, including adding a tour of Fisher’s campus to “further solidify the college experience.” She also recommends a larger selection of career models per the students’ interest in variety.

While seventh graders greatly benefitted from the Future Fair, the career models and student volunteers were able to be an inspiration for the next generation as they find their passions and paths to achieve the careers they want. “These volunteers are actively empowering young people to better our community and better their lives. As much as we teach them, they teach us. Young students are rewarding and energetic and ready to give their perspective, knowledge, and feedback,” Terech said.

This article was written by Brooke Eastman, a senior media and communication major. Eastman currently serves as a Public Relations Writing Intern with the Marketing and Communications department at Fisher for the fall 2024 semester.