Berkley, Clawson, Royal Oak high schools partner to hold Future Fair

BERKLEY/CLAWSON/ROYAL OAK — High schools in Berkley, Clawson and Royal Oak are co-hosting a fair to help students plan out their futures.

The Fall Future Fair will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, in the Royal Oak High School cafeteria, 1500 Lexington Blvd.

The fair will feature approximately 100 representatives from universities, colleges, businesses and trade schools.

While Berkley, Clawson and Royal Oak have separately held fairs like this for their students, this will be the first time that the high schools have partnered together for an event like this.

“What I like about this fair compared to other fairs that are just four-year university-focused is that this really does present students and families with many options beyond just a four-year college degree,” said Christina Belsky, college and career counselor at Berkley High School.

“In the several years that we’ve done this, we have gotten really good feedback from families just appreciating and acknowledging that there is more than just a four-year university and being able to have their students see and for them to learn about … other programs and career trainings and trades, being able to see that there are all of these wonderful paths to reaching success after high school,” she said. “So, just showing options that this isn’t just for one type of student — it’s for all students — I think that’s been really meaningful.”

Cristina Karaszewski, career development and testing coordinator at Royal Oak High School and Royal Oak Middle School, said this is her first time working on one of the Future Fair events.

Karaszewski said this is a great opportunity to bring the community together and show students the path to a promising future.

“This is the first year we are bringing other schools together,” Karaszewski said. “It’s going to be Berkley, Clawson and Royal Oak High School. In the past we have all kind of hosted our own (future fair), and now we are bringing it together as more of a community event.”

Karaszewski said that the goal of the Future Fair is to focus on all potential pathways that students can explore following high school.

“College isn’t necessarily for everybody, so we have trade schools there, community-based organizations that provide scholarships and volunteer opportunities, along with military and then your traditional colleges,” she said. “I would say it is a vast range of opportunities for students, that no matter what their plan is after high school, we just want them to have a plan, so it is important to give them exposure to different options.”

Clawson High School counselor Rebecca Rice believes that a lot of kids just need exposure at an event like this to find their paths, and she’s seen from past experiences how effective the event can be for the students.

In terms of bringing the schools together for the fair, Rice said the bigger event allows them to invite more schools and businesses to attend, because they won’t be stretched thin.

“You’re able to learn so much more from other counselors and the way they do things and the things we’ve done in the past,” Rice said. “I know that both of the Christinas have said things that I didn’t even think of, and hopefully vice versa, and just bring some ideas and things that our kids didn’t have access to before.”

Rice also advised that any student can come to the fair, not just seniors on the verge of graduating.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman or a senior, it’s a great opportunity to learn about things and kind of prepare for what your future might look like,” she said. “Even if you do think you know what you want to do in the future, it’s always good to kind of have other people to talk to and look at options.”

Students looking to register for the fair can do so by signing up at app.strivescan.com/registration.