The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School gymnasium was packed Wednesday afteroon with students and local businesses for the annual spring job fair.
Forty five Island businesses gathered behind tables, speaking to students about various job opportunities for the upcoming summer and beyond. From farms and restaurants to the building trades and municipal jobs, there was a widespread amount of interests represented.
Organizer Guinevere Cramer said that offering a venue for students to connect with the business community was meaningful.
“The wonderful thing is that maybe if [kids] don’t find a summer job today or part time job for the school year, maybe they make a connection, and it’s a potential career for them,” she said.
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank talked with students about becoming summer rangers or being a part of the trail crew.
Crew manager Tony Lima said he understands the importance of mentorship from a young age.
“I was born and raised here and got into the conservation scene through people like myself now who were looking to take people under their wing and bring them into the field,” he said.
Fostering the next generation is important to local organizations.
“These kids are going to be the ones who run these organizations really soon and it’s one of those things where they might not even know they’re interested until they come to see this,” said conservation land assistant Blake Wasson. Students arrived throughout the two-and-a-half hour fair, divided by class grade. Opportunities also included jobs during gap-years and post-grad possibilities.
Vineyard Haven postmaster Emily Texeira represented the U.S. Postal Service.
“It’s a great place to work, even though there’s a lot going on in the post office,” she said. “We’re not going anywhere. The mail will always go out and get delivered.”
It was Ms. Texeira’s first time at the fair and she jumped at the chance to interact with the high schoolers.
“These kids are our future,” she said. “If we can encourage them to have great jobs, do good in the world, then that’s what we’re here for.”
From Morning Glory Farm to clothing store Conrado to the Steamship Authority, there was something for everyone.
Morning Glory Farm presented a multitude of roles available for the summer, from kitchen work to picking strawberries in the fields.
According to Ms. Cramer, the energy in the gymnasium is infectious every year during the event.
“What’s great about working at the high school and seeing these kids interact with adults is seeing the level of excitement they have when they do engage with kids, and how excited some of the kids are when they’re leaving and they have a potential job for the summer,” she said.
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