KĀNE‘OHE — After engaging with a host of prospective employers at her school’s revamped career exposure fair, Castle High senior Koryn Amuro said she walked away with renewed confidence that she’ll be able to apply her knack for business and planning to almost any future career path.

“I want to do something in business and each company had a business aspect to it. Learning about the different companies made me realize that business is everywhere, so I have a chance anywhere,” Amuro said.

Castle High and Hawai‘i workforce development nonprofit ClimbHI partnered to host the inaugural Castle High Exposure Fair where 1,100 students in grades 9-12 had structured opportunities to engage with 40 local businesses and industries. 

“This is more like a speed-dating event, where they have exposure to a lot of businesses and not just the ones that they pick and choose, but we want them to see the gamut of what’s available for job opportunities out there,” Teresann Tau’a, Castle High Academy of Innovation principal, said.

Castle High became a wall-to-wall academy school last year and recently received national recognition and model status for three of its academies including the Academy of Innovation. This academy provides a pathway for students interested in automotive, building & construction, engineering and natural resources. Last year, the academy held a career fair just for its students but this year, Tau’a said she wanted to open it to all Castle students.

The event redesigned the traditional career fair by providing students better opportunities to interact with various organizations — “speed-dating” style. Every few minutes, students were encouraged to rotate to a new table and meet with government agencies, businesses and nonprofits. 

Among the vendors present were Kualoa Ranch, Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Hawai‘i State Federal Credit Union, Layton Construction, Hawaiian Electric Co., the City and County of Honolulu, the University of Hawai‘i, the Hawai‘i State Department of Education and others.

Castle senior Zachary Fujinaka said that while he’s interested in going into either the engineering or art fields, he appreciated the time to speak to a variety of organizations. “I really wanted to experience as many careers as possible and see what kind of options I have, if anything might interest me. It was really easy to expose myself to a span of careers in a short amount of time.”

Castle High Academy of Innovation counselor Jordyn Yahata added: “What this career fair really shows the students is that anything is possible. … A high school diploma can take you anywhere.”

Participating organizations made connections and shared information with students but also imparted their own advice and encouragement.

Castle High alumnus Deneen Hesia, for example, who is a sales executive with Hawaiian Airlines, said she wanted to share uplifting words about finding a rewarding career after high school: “This is possible. Because a lot of us, going to school, you don’t think it’s possible. You don’t know what direction you’re going in. And if I could do it, then you can do it.”