Mar. 23—Norman High School on Wednesday invited potential employers to campus to introduce students to a world of possibilities in different career fields.

The event, Tiger Time 2.0, allowed students to connect with university programs, vocational schools, academies, military, and private businesses.

In attendance were all five branches of the U.S. military and Naval ROTC, representatives from different departments from the University of Oklahoma and Moore Norman Technology Center, Mid American Christian University, Oklahoma Baptist University, University of Sciences and Arts of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City, and Wichita University.

"We want to make sure each student leaves high school with some sort of plan," said Brenda Wilkins, Norman High's advanced placement coordinator. "We realize those might change, but we want to do everything we can to show them a variety of things that are available to them."

Tiger Time 2.0 takes place twice a year, once each semester, and at every event, Wilkins said she likes to bring on different employers to add variety.

Last semester, she invited Norman Line Maintenance to teach students about working with lines.

She said holding events like this are important, especially coming out of the pandemic.

"When we first started thinking about doing this, it was a little scary," she said. "Some people wouldn't come because of COVID."

Many students don't have the resources to drive around the state to visit college campuses, and she said some students feel uncomfortable skipping school to visit with potential employers, which in some circumstances is allowed.

Wilkins said this makes career fairs like Tiger Time 2.0 all the more important for Norman High students.

Payton Pepperman, a senior at Norman said he attended a Tiger Time 2.0 event that changed his life.

"I came by the career fair and saw a familiar face. It was my friend's dad and he's a firefighter. I started talking to him," and he roped me into it," said Payton. "I know other people in my life who are firefighters, and it made sense. Let's say, he did a good job recruiting."

Payton plays football at Norman, and he said he values a career that will allow him to stay in shape.

"You also get to save people's lives and help them out in other ways. That's one of my big things," Pepperman said. "I like caring for other people. I like to help people when I get the chance."

Harry Powers is senior at Norman High, and he already has plans to enroll in the Navy ROTC and study at the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at OU's Gallogly College of Engineering. He wants to attend college debt free, so he attended Tiger Time 2.0 looking for summer jobs.

"I want to get a little more knowledge of different job opportunities for this summer," Powers said. "I want to be able to be financially stable throughout college."

Janna Martin is an instructor in human relations at OU's Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences. She came to the event to recruit individuals and teach them about possible careers in her field. She brought a handful of her students to connect with high schoolers.

"I teach a class called service learning where we go out in the community and spread the word on human relations," Martin said. "We have a little assembly line so they will come through and learn about what human relations means."

Allyce Sanders, a senior at OU majoring in human relations, said she looks forward to recruiting more people to enter her field. She said career fairs are valuable because they help students to know what kinds of opportunities are available to them.

"I started going to career fairs when I went to OU," Sanders said. "I learned about this major when I went to OU."