Photo Feature: Helping Professions Fair

In a fantastic showing of the collaborative efforts at UCCS and in the Colorado Springs community, several colleges, departments, faculty members and campus partners came together in January to show local high schoolers a glimpse into various career paths and the versatility they offer.

Spearheaded by Sarah Long, Ph.D., College of Education Assistant Dean and Director of Student Affairs, with the support of campus faculty and District 11 personnel, UCCS hosted a Helping Professions Fair on Jan. 14 that saw over 100 students from various D11 high schools came to campus to meet with and ask questions of faculty from the Criminal Justice, Counseling and Human Services, Teaching and Learning, Nursing/Health Sciences, Psychology and Social Work departments, along with Renee Crisler of the Jumpstart Fund, Petra Randol of the El Paso County Workforce and other local industry vendors.

“It was absolutely remarkable,” said Long. “We wanted students to have autonomy over their sessions, so they were able to choose which sessions to attend or if they wanted to take a tour. At the end, they had the chance to speak with industry partners, including the police and fire departments, wellness and recovery centers, behavioral health organizations, various state entities and some D11 departments.”

Though Long has helped organize similar events and panels over the last few years to show students the wide range of jobs within disciplines that they may not learn about otherwise, and how different fields may overlap and offer even more career opportunities where they intersect, this particular one had local schools much more involved. D11 personnel Andrea Friesema, Neesha Lenzini, Breann Shaughnessy and Melissa Smith, along with other staff from multiple D11 schools, approached Long to see how campus could help them offer career insight to students.

“The Helping Professions Fair and previous panels were created to help students navigate fields like psychology, social work, and human services, which often have overlapping elements,” explained Long. “Many students enter these areas without a clear understanding of what each career entails, leading to confusion and potentially taking them longer to discover the path they are truly passionate about.”

Long has firsthand experience with nonlinear careers paths and the unexpected doors that can be opened up through them, having earned her undergrad in psychology and theatre, followed by a master’s in neuroscience and another in leadership, plus a doctorate in higher education leadership, and is passionate about helping pre-collegiate students learn more about the options available to them. She also emphasized the efforts of UCCS and D11 faculty and staff to work together and help make the experience informative and engaging for the participants, and the value such collaborations bring.

“For all of it to come together, and for the students to feel like it was successful and walk away with a better idea of career options, was really amazing,” said Long. “I want to be a connector across different colleges within UCCS, bridging gaps to support student success. A win for another college is a win for the College of Education and for all of us. It’s essential that we collaborate rather than operate in silos, ensuring we work together as a unified university.”

“Showing students that there’s no wrong pathway and introducing them to these opportunities in high school is really incredible,” she added. “I commend the D11 folks for wanting to make this happen, and it was a wonderful experience.”

Long and the partners from D11 are already planning for next year’s fair, with more details to come. Reach out to Sarah Long to learn more.