Oct. 17—The annual MySuccess event is returning to the Civic Arena this week, with the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce hosting about 2,000 high school students to showcase potential future careers.

The idea behind the event is to give high school juniors and seniors from around the area a look at career options locally, with a variety of employers showcasing what their business has to offer. Kristie Arthur, director of workforce development for the chamber, said the event is important to give students an inside look at what their future in the workforce could look like.

"We want to introduce our students to opportunities. I think a lot of times when people drive by our employers in St. Joe, oftentimes they don't know what goes on behind closed doors," Arthur said. "This gives them an opportunity to share all different aspects. Even if it's a manufacturing company, they have different opportunities. You could be in marketing or business or human resources."

Students take a career assessment before attending MySuccess, which their school counselor uses to guide them toward opportunities that best align with their results. A benefit to attending an event like this is the exposure to different paths, as some high school students may not know what they want to do in the future. With several different sectors sharing their opportunities with students, they can look at many different paths their futures could go.

Due to the pandemic, MySuccess took a few years off of in-person events but did take on a virtual form. It was back at Civic Arena last spring, and organizers feel it is imperative to give these students, who may already be behind in their career exploration, the platform to start thinking about what comes next.

"These students started their high school career differently and so they really haven't been out and exploring," Arthur said. "There will also be educational opportunities for them to explore if they haven't made a decision on what they want to do next year."

Arthur said this year, employers have looked for new ways to engage students to spend time thinking about their business, with games and other visual explanations for what they do daily.

MySuccess will take place at Civic Arena on Tuesday and Wednesday, with students from about 60 schools arriving at around 8 a.m. and staying until about 1 p.m.

Stef Manchen can be reached at stef.manchen@newspressnow.com.