Fishburne Guidance Hosts Career Fair

by Cadet Bevan Morrison-Rodgers
photos by Cadet Thaddeus Edwards

This week at Fishburne Military School, the Guidance Department hosted a series of career fairs for Cadets. The purpose was to provide students with the opportunity to meet one-on-one with corporate vice-presidents, technicians, doctors, engineers, law enforcement officers, military recruiters as well as military aviators and veterans.

The Fair was designed to give Fishburne’s senior and junior classes a real-world look into careers they might pursue and to help determine what further studies or degrees might be required. By asking direct questions of those already successful in a number of given professions, students can form concrete ideas about what to expect in these fields.

The Career fair developed into to a true success story as cadets piled into classrooms, conference rooms and the gymnasium in order to listen to their guest speaker and ask questions.

CPT Dan Baranik (VA), Fishburne’s Guidance Director, arranged for three days during each of which five guest speakers were welcomed after classes. Speakers throughout the week included former Waynesboro Chief of Police, Doug Davis, now Director of the Criminal Justice program at Mary Baldwin College; Vice President of Crutchfield Corporation, Jim Baranik; Director of Clinical Sciences, Ellie Coggins; and Medical Doctor and Veteran, Dr. John Marsh.

The true key to success, Mr. Jim Baranik told the Cadets, is to “do a job that you truly love. Otherwise it won’t be fun for you. Hard work plus fun equals success”.

“I found the career fair inspiring. It helped me and other cadets understand what really happens in the business world,” noted Cadet Thaddeus Edwards.

Fishburne Military School is the oldest and smallest of all military schools for boys in Virginia. Its college-prep curriculum is built upon the structure of an Army JROTC program. Boasting a 100% college-acceptance rate for the past 10 consecutive years, FMS has also been designated as a JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction and may nominate qualified candidates to the United States Service Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command. For more information visit www.fishburne.org.