3rd Annual Career Technical Education Fair for 8th-graders shows students HS career pathways

The 3rd Annual MDUSD Career Technical Education (CTE) Fair for middle school students on Jan. 8th at Riverview MS gave 8th-graders from all middle schools in the District the opportunity to learn about career options after high school such as working for local agencies including the Contra Costa Water District or PG&E, and to find out about the different career pathways in MDUSD high schools such as construction, engineering, healthcare, auto tech, digital media and JROTC.

"The goal of this event is for students to learn about some careers in different industries," said Heather Fontanilla, MDUSD's Director of College & Career Readiness. "Another goal is for them to learn about the different pathway programs at the high schools so that they can consider the options when they are completing course cards for the 2026-2027 school year." 

The event featured 13 different education and industry partners, as well as 11 career pathways from District high schools, with teachers and high school students showcasing the work they do and offering hands-on experiences to the middle school students. It also included post-secondary education providers including MDUSD Adult Education, Diablo Valley College and Cal State East Bay.

"We're very excited to be hosting the fair," said Riverview MS Principal Veronica McLennan. "It's a great opportunity for our students to learn about the different programs in our schools and what's offered in our community."

To help keep students engaged, they were given a "BINGO Card" that asked them to visit booths and to share feedback about what they learned, said Anna Ramos, MDUSD's Manager of Youth Development & Support Services, who coordinated the fair. She said Shore Acres Elementary 5th-graders, who will attend Riverview MS next year, also got a sneak peak at the campus and the fair.

The hands-on activities included welding, practicing CPR and interacting with a robot, under the supervision of MDUSD Career Pathways high school students. Concord HS Transportation Tech student Mario Rodriguez, who taught 8th-graders how to weld at the event, said his classes teach students life skills that will benefit them even if they don't end up becoming auto technicians. Mario said career pathways can "lead you to what you want to do in life." CHS Auto Tech teacher Greg Golson said the Fair gave 8th-grade students the opportunity to get a glimpse of the skills they can develop in high school that they wouldn't ordinarily get to see.  

Mt. Diablo HS Patient Care pathway seniors Tiffany Dong and Elsey Campos Perez said they both want to work in healthcare after graduation and their pathway courses are giving them a head start on what they need to learn, including CPR. Similarly, the Principles of Biomedical Science Pathway at College Park HS also attracts students interested in healthcare fields. Riverview MS 8th grader Bryan Alvarez said he wants to learn more about the human body. "I really like science, but I also like acting," he said. Mt. Diablo HS also has a Digital Arts program in which some students create videos. Bryan's sister Stephanie Alvarez, who is the Riverview MS Community School Coordinator, said the fair exceeded the expectations of many 8th graders, who thought it wouldn't be very interesting before they attended, but who were excited after they went. "It's a great idea," she said. 

Ygnacio Valley HS Engineering teacher Joseph Alvarico, whose students demonstrated a robot they created in the school's Robotics Club, said the fair helped 8th graders get hands on experience related to careers they could pursue in the future, and helped his high school students build presentation, leadership and communications skills. "So, it serves both of them well - the high school and the middle school students," he said.

High school career pathway programs that participated in the fair were: Biomedical Science, and Photography at College Park HS; Engineering, Art & Digital Media/Photography, and Transportation at Concord HS; Auto/Transportation Tech, Culinary Arts, Patient Care and JROTC at Mt. Diablo HS; Animation at Northgate HS; and Education, and Engineering at Ygnacio Valley HS. Students interested in programs not offered at their "home" high schools would need to apply for an intra-district transfer to participate in some programs. 

Click here to watch a reel featuring highlights from the event.