St. John students participate in emergency response career fair

Gifft Hill School and Love City Strong partnered to host a career fair for GHS middle and high

schoolers and Julius E. Sprauve School eighth-graders at the GHS Upper Campus on Friday.

Representatives from the V.I. Police Department, Love City Community Network, V.I. Dept. of

Public Works, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Information Technology, Love City Strong, St.

John Rescue, and Customs and Border Protection shared experiences from their careers with students.

"This career fair was designed to empower students to think about the ways they can both build a career that's satisfying and give back to their community," said GHS Head of School Liz Kinsella. "At GHS, we cultivate an ethos of giving back and as students get older, it's a natural bridge for us to show them a way they can turn that into a career."

Students rotated through the various presenters, learning about their careers and asking engaging

questions. At the end of the two-hour career fair, all students and presenters gathered in the Upper

Campus atrium to share what they had learned from one another.

"The presenter from the Bureau of Information Technology gave a lot of good life advice," said GHS

senior Taire Barnes. "He shared the struggles he went through to get where he is today. What stood out most to me was that there are many pathways you can take after you graduate, and just as many career options out there for us."

Junior Lily Wallace said that although she plans to leave island after graduation, she appreciated

that the career fair demonstrated the options that await her when she's ready to return home.

"After I've explored, met people, and done different things, I can see myself coming back and making

a life for myself in a job like the ones described at the career fair," said Wallace. "The career fair did

exactly what Ms. Liz said it would. I didn't realize there were that many jobs you could do down here. It's good to know there are so many options in the Virgin Islands."

The career fair was borne out of an idea proposed by Love City Strong Director Meaghan Enright,

who said she hopes to build on the fair's momentum by continuing to educate students on the opportunities that await them in the Virgin Islands.

"Love City Strong is thrilled to have an opportunity to speak with students about potential careers

in emergency management and public service," said Enright. "Our community becomes more resilient as we build internal capacity to address crises and disasters, and young Virgin Islanders have

so much talent and creativity to contribute. I hope this is the first of many opportunities to open

students' eyes to career opportunities, non-traditional career paths, and the many ways one can build a thriving career while serving your community.

Love City Strong Community Relations Manager Kenisha Small echoed Enright's sentiments.

"This career fair connected students to the people and agencies who help keep the Virgin Islands

safe before, during, and after emergencies, and it builds a stronger culture of preparedness across the community," said Small. "It should also help retain V.I. residents/students by showing young people and families that there are meaningful, stable, service-driven career paths available right here in the territory. By broadening students' vision of local jobs, from emergency management and public safety to infrastructure, technology, communications, and environmental response, we support a future where more residents can learn, work, and lead at home. I'm excited about potentially making this an annual event, of an idea proposed by Love City and look forward to our continued partnership with both GHS and our government and NGO partners on these types of events/programs."

The career fair marked a meaningful collaboration between educators, community organizations,

and government partners working together to expand opportunities for young Virgin Islanders. At Gifft Hill School, these connections extend beyond a single day. Students build on experiences like the career fair through their capstone project, a four-week immersion in the professional world that allows seniors to explore a career of interest firsthand.

Gifft Hill School and Love City Strong extend their gratitude to all participating agencies and present-

ers for sharing their time, expertise, and encouragement with students. Organizers hope the event will serve as a foundation for ongoing partnerships and expanded programming that continues to connect students with real-world career pathways in the Virgin Islands.

Building on the success of this inaugural event, GHS and Love City Strong are exploring the possibility of making the career fair an annual opportunity for students across the territory to engage

directly with professionals serving their community.