Dubois County Career Cruise Sets Sail in Inaugural Event

Jasper - The inaugural Dubois County Career Cruise was held in the Jasper High School auxiliary gym on Friday, playing host to over 500 county eighth graders.

In all, 57 booths, representing over 50 industries, were occupied by local businesses and organizations - several outfitting with interactive displays.

Standing beside a robotic arm, Totoya's Chris Melvin says that students were involved early and often, eager to learn and participate.

"The eighth graders are asking a lot of great questions, not just about your company, but, 'what are the opportunities within your company?'" Melvin said. "Being able to share all of those different career options has been enjoyable."

During the Career Cruise, students move from 'dock-to-dock' and 'port-to-port' and speak with members and employees from each organization.

The goal is to let students, at a younger age, learn about opportunities within the area and broaden their horizons. Southridge Eighth Grader Chloe Atchison says she is doing just that.

"A lot of people have been super nice and super informative," Atchison said. "One of my favorite things I've stopped by was the Health Department, I really like the Medical field so that's really cool."

"I obviously go to talk to people with the news and on the radio and I really like meteorology so that could be another career path that I could go on", Atchison added.

Atchison's classmate Jordyn Anderson says she's thankful for the businesses that took time out of their day to come out and inspire the county's students.

Prizes and handouts were given to students at the conclusion of the Career Cruise.

WITZ/WQKZ/Juan participated in the first annual Career Cruise.