AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) \u2014 More than 300 students attended the second annual Trades Day, an event designed to give high school students hands-on exposure to a wide range of career and technical education opportunities. <\/p>\n
The event allowed students to speak directly with professionals from various industries and learn about potential career paths beyond traditional college routes.<\/p>\n
For seniors like Harper Miller, who already has a general idea of what she wants to pursue after graduation, Trades Day provided a chance to explore those goals more deeply. <\/p>\n
Miller said speaking with representatives from Texas Tech University and Baptist St. Anthony Health System helped her better understand opportunities she was previously unaware of.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really excited to talk with Texas Tech and BSA because there are so many opportunities you don\u2019t know about until you actually talk to them,\u201d Miller said. \u201cGetting that opportunity really helps. If you want to do extra training or a certified program, it\u2019s incredible what you find out once you start those conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miller added that seeing the effort local businesses are making to support students is encouraging and motivating.<\/p>\n
Tony Dimas, marketing director for Santa Fe Credit Union, said he understands the uncertainty many students face as they prepare for life after high school. Dimas said events like Trades Day allow professionals to help guide students as they explore their options.<\/p>\n
\u201cI personally didn\u2019t have direction, and you kind of just end up where you end up,\u201d Dimas said. \u201cKnowing that we can be part of guiding these kids through that process is awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Organizers said the event also plays a role in keeping talent in the Texas Panhandle by highlighting local opportunities. <\/p>\n
Business owners like Cynthia Delgadillo, owner of Bella Bound, said not all students thrive in traditional academic settings, and Trades Day helps show alternative paths to success.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to put it out there for kids who think maybe academics aren\u2019t their strong suit \u2014 there are still other options,\u201d Delgadillo said. \u201cNot just college. There are quicker paths where you can make just as much money. Right now, lash extensions are bringing in big bucks.\u201d<\/p>\n
This marks the school district\u2019s second year hosting Trades Day, and organizers said interest continues to grow. They hope to expand the event next year by welcoming more students and vendors.<\/p>\n
Second annual Trades Day connects students with career opportunities (KVII)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) \u2014 More than 300 students attended the second annual Trades Day, an event designed to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166017,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":["post-166016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lubbock","tag-lubbock","tag-lubbock-headlines","tag-lubbock-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}