Future farmers, lawyers, veterinarians and even some aspiring lineworkers visited with representatives from 40 organizations promoting a variety of career options at the Career & Opportunity Expo preceding the Virginia FFA State Convention on June 22.
For the second straight year, the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives supported the event, held this year at Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Ballroom of the Squires Student Center. VMDAEC’s Rachael Freeman and Jim Robertson visited with attendees throughout the afternoon and enjoyed many great conversations with exceptional young men and women. A total of more than 1,200 students, educators and parents attended the expo.
Event organizer and FFA Foundation Director Jennifer Armstrong explains that the purpose is not only to inform students of the many career paths available but to also encourage them to practice having conversations with professionals and exhibit good manners in the process. “For this being just the second year for this event, it’s gained such momentum,” she says. “Our exhibitors love the one-on-one interaction with members and it really opens up these young minds to the diverse options that exist in both education and career through this organization.”
Other participating organizations included Farm Bureau, Rockingham Cooperative, Southern States, Farm Credit and more. Like its member cooperatives, VMDAEC is committed to supporting valuable programs like FFA and looks forward to opportunities to engage with students about choosing a powerful co-op career path.
–Report by Jim Robertson, Director of Marketing, VMDAEC.