LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Dance parties, toy trucks, and toilet paper basketball are not what you would expect to see at a career fair, but that was the case at the Junior Achievement of NEPA Inspire Live event at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
"It's not your typical job fair. I mean, we brought into dental chair today hopefully to kind of engage and also expose patient people who might want to go into the dental field," said Dr. Jason Nataupsky of Nataupsky Family Dentistry.
Aaliyah Major, a West Scranton High School junior, checked her teacher, Mrs. Judge, for mouth cancer at the event.
"I thought it was going to be boring talking to random people just about anything," Major said.
That was just one of the booths in the health care section of this career fair. Other sections featured companies with career opportunities in public service, finance, trades, and education.
"We want to give students a vision for their future. Some of these kids are going to see things they never thought were possible for them," said Susan Magnotta, the president of Junior Achievement of NEPA.
"I didn't know about all these options, so I think it's very important that other people keep in mind for my age group," said Elizabeth Rodriguez, a tenth grader at Hazleton Area Career Center.
"Especially you wouldn't expect to see sports teams and stuff, so that's really cool. And I like all the opportunities that they have out for us," said Liza Major, a tenth grader at Hazleton Area Career Center.
"One of the purposes of events is absolutely to retain young talent," Magnotta added. "These kids don't understand the opportunities that are right here in our own backyard. And yesterday, when the companies were setting up, they're like, 'We need workers. We need jobs.' Whether it was and entry-level job or an engineering job, they want to connect with these students, and that's what this event is giving them the opportunity to do."
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