Senior Day Event Connected CHS and LVHS Seniors with Future Opportunities

SAISD Class of 2022 Seniors took one step closer to their futures on Wednesday as they explored over 60 booths from local business and organizations as well as postsecondary academic opportunities as part of San Angelo ISD’s Senior Day for both Central and Lake View High School. The event held outdoors at Central High School is designed to be one more way to help all SAISD students be “future-ready” whether that future is the military, workplace, or further academic studies, and merges a college and career fair with a counselor session and CPR training.

“Our goal is to connect students with people who can help them make educated decisions to put them on track to achieve their future goals,” said Central High School English Teacher Kelle Wilson. Ms. Wilson collaborated with area businesses and organizations, and colleges and universities to coordinate and lead the event. 

At the event, students gained firsthand knowledge about careers awaiting them right here in San Angelo from a multitude of industries and fields ranging from Texas State Troopers and Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens to Shannon Medical Center healthcare work to realtor positions to local television media and more. The event was an engaging opportunity for senior students to network, practice interacting with professionals and hear from representatives about why they chose their particular path and what it takes to succeed in their chosen career. Many colleges and universities from Angelo State University and Howard College to options outside the Concho Valley including St. Mary’s University, the University of Texas at San Antonio, Lincoln Tech and West Texas A&M were on-site at the event providing students a chance to learn more about their programs and information on aspects like affordability and requirements. 

Several booths included SAISD alumni, providing students a personalized, relatable perspective from a former SAISD student who once walked the same halls and contemplated their own future plans like Concho Valley Electric Coop Account, CHS Class of 2002 graduate Isai Garcia and current Howard College nursing student, Lake View High School Class of 2015 graduate David Padilla. At the Howard College booth, Padilla shared personal insights about how he selected Howard as an opportunity to jump in and experiment with what he was originally interested in, kinesiology, before shifting his focus to nursing as he gained knowledge in healthcare and the human body. He noted the multitude of opportunities in the healthcare field as one appealing reason he chose it, from opportunities to work in an emergency room setting to pediatric to elderly homecare to challenging non-verbal patient work.

Some seniors attending already had a pretty clear picture of the future they have planned but appreciated being able to connect with professionals in their field like one senior who planned to go to the University of Mississippi and possibly major in anesthesiology and another who had plans to go to ASU for a path toward dermatology, inspired by a grandparent’s battle with skin cancer. Others were still working to solidify plans and the event helped provide additional ideas on future pathways, like one student interested in pursuing a future as an educator who spoke to several of the college representatives on-site.

At the event, the counselors session included booths for seniors to visit to provide helpful resources including career exploration to fundamentals like how to make high school transcript requests, information on scholarships, essay writing tips and information and assistance on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). SAISD high schools will also host a FAFSA and TASFA informational week November 15-19 for students to learn more about FAFSA and other financial aid options, and guide parents and students through the application process for both FAFSA and the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA).

SAISD is committed to our mission of engaging all students in a relevant and inspiring education that produces future-ready graduates, and proud that many of our graduates go on to work in important roles right here in San Angelo, contributing to the current and future success of our community. We appreciate the community partners who participated in Senior Day who helped SAISD to provide our students this additional opportunity to pursue their own hopes and dreams. To stay up-to-date on San Angelo ISD, please visit the SAISD website at www.saisd.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.