VALDOSTA — On Friday, the Pine Grove Middle School gymnasium hosted an exciting opportunity for middle schoolers. Over 100 presenters filed into the school to discuss various science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.

Students navigated more than 30 booths inside the gym featuring organizations like Lowndes County Fire Rescue, Ace Electric, and Ethos Energy. Meanwhile, outdoor stations provided larger-scale experiences, allowing students to engage directly with job-related activities. As they moved from table to table, students carried bingo-style cards to help guide their learning and ensure they gained insight into different career fields.

One of the more interactive presentations came from John Martin of TLC Perfect Pond. Students could see the equipment used in aquatic management at their station and even touch some fish. Martin emphasized the importance of exposing young minds to the outdoors.

“I think the more things kids are exposed to, the better — especially with what we do in the outdoors,” he said. “With the way things are nowadays, with social media and technology, it’s good to show them that there’s still a world out there to see.”

Event organizer Tracy Smith, a sixth-grade math teacher, highlighted the necessity of such events in bridging the gap between the classroom and real-world jobs.

“The kids are able to make connections between what they have been learning in the classroom and how those skills are actually applied outside of school,” Smith said. “It gives them a chance to find careers that they might be interested in researching further to see if that is something they want to pursue one day.”

For students like seventh-grader Annie Anders, the career fair was an eye-opening experience.

“I think it is important for kids to go around so we can actually look at different job opportunities,” Anders shared. “We get to figure out what we want to do in future careers and try to figure out what we want to be when we grow up.”