Isaac Carrillo and Emmett Matthews each carefully guided a hoop along a metal path as they raced against their opponent.<\/p>\n
The Azle High School seniors\u2019 competition, though, wasn\u2019t worried. In fact, it didn\u2019t have feelings. It was a sleek, glossy white robotic arm conducting the same race albeit on one of its slowest settings.<\/p>\n
The race was on at the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center\u2019s table inside the TTI warehouse in north Fort Worth where more than 1,000 Tarrant County students attended the Junior Achievement of the Chisholm Trail\u2019s third annual Career Expo on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Neither student, though, was interested in a manufacturing career. Instead, they want to pursue accounting.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything to do with math like helping people with their money is probably what I would want to do,\u201d Emmett, 17, said.<\/p>\n
Junior Achievement President Cindy Hames said the expo\u2019s goal is showing students their career options. Nearly 100 Fort Worth-area employers and college programs exhibited as they informed students of necessary skills, training and education.<\/p>\n
Students wandered around the warehouse talking to industry leaders. Investments and banking were near the front. Toward the back, a line of new cars and trucks from General Motors and dealerships. In the middle, professionals discussed careers in manufacturing, science, journalism, hospitality and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here to inspire them and give them some ideas for what to do later in life,\u201d Hames said.<\/p>\n
North Side High School juniors Valeria Cazares and Yuridia Ortiz moseyed around tables talking to colleges. Yuridia, 16, is interested in criminal justice and dental work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Valeria, though, wasn\u2019t as sure. She visited the Tarleton State University booth and fell in love with its variety of majors and potential to impact her future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Exploring future pathways was exciting for Valeria, 17, as she figures out what she wants to do after graduation.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the most part, we don\u2019t realize how many opportunities we have until we\u2019re here in events like this,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like we get to see more of what we\u2019re missing out on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @_jacob_sanchez<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/03\/05\/high-schoolers-explore-future-opportunities-at-junior-achievement-career-expo-in-fort-worth\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&quality=80&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n <img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/?republication-pixel=true&post=435622&ga4=2820184429″ style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/03\/05\/high-schoolers-explore-future-opportunities-at-junior-achievement-career-expo-in-fort-worth\/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } <\/script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/fortworthreport.org\/p.js”><\/script>