The Connection

Some came looking for part-time jobs during the school year, others searched for summer jobs and still others just wanted to get an idea of what’s out there. But regardless of their reasons for attending, more than 500 students flocked to the annual teen job fair at Chantilly High. 

Held Saturday morning, March 2, the event was sponsored by Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield), in partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools, the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and other organizations. The jobs available were for full time, after-school, seasonal and volunteer positions, and there were opportunities for internships, as well.

“We had another great turnout,” said Herrity. “It was wonderful seeing our students connecting with potential employers in a comfortable environment with their peers. And it’s exciting to see young students leave this fair with jobs and experience talking to employers.”

Nearly 50 businesses and government entities – such as Fairfax County’s Park Authority, Department of Public Safety Communications/911, and Fire and Rescue Department – participated. Students, and some parents, too, visited their tables, spoke with representatives and learned what each had to offer.

Pat Herrity and Sandy Anderson

 

In addition, two workshops were held to help set up students for success before even taking a job. One dealt with how to compile and write a resume, and the other prepared them for job interviews.

“It was nice to see some opportunities for people my age,” said Chantilly junior Hannah Fugh. “I’m looking for a job during the school year that doesn’t require that many hours.” She spoke with employers about taking training to become either a dental assistant or an electrician. 

“They train you until you’re 18, and then they offer you a job,” she said. “I also liked the workshops here teaching you how to build a resume. That’s a good skill to have.”

Junior Nate Payne was looking for part-time jobs he could do during school and in the summertime. “The Park Authority had some front-desk positions, and I was also interested in the Merrifield Garden Center,” he said. Payne said the job fair is a good idea because “it gives students the opportunity to come out and see different jobs. And it also gave me practice talking to people.”

Springfield District School Board member Sandy Anderson was impressed by the breadth of the businesses there, as well as the kinds of workshops offered to the students. “It’s an amazing opportunity to show our young people what’s out there, in terms of employment,” she said. “And it also shows our businesses how eager these kids are to look for work.”

Freshman Raagav Bala said he came to the fair because “I wanted to check out some companies and see if my interests aligned with them. I found a dentistry internship I might try in the future. I’m sure many students are interested in getting a job, either for money or to pursue their passion. And this job fair lets them gain more knowledge about what it’s like to work in a specific field.”

A swimming-pool management company founded in 1974, Crystal Aquatics was one of the businesses at the job fair. “Our base office is in Chantilly, but we run 45 pools in Fairfax and Loudoun counties,” said Annie Desmarais, director of training and staffing. She and two of her pool managers were there hoping to attract some teens to become lifeguards.

Since Crystal Aquatics prides itself on providing personalized service tailored to its customers’ needs, it naturally wants to offer the best possible lifeguards. Before being placed at a pool, its lifeguards are thoroughly interviewed and trained. And a variety of incentives are offered to keep their morale high and ensure a friendly work environment.

Sophomore Michael Edwards came to the fair in search of outdoor, athletic work – specifically, lifeguarding and umpiring baseball games. “I’m looking for a spring and summer job, and I liked them both,” he said. “But the money as a lifeguard is better. It’s $12-$16/hour and is a consistent job. Baseball umpiring for youth leagues pays more, but it’s not consistent, so it’s more like part time. And I’m trying to get a job and make some money.”

Another vendor was Caricature Artists Group. Artist Audrey Cheek, whose mother owns the company, explained how the business works. “Mom will send out requests for artists to sign up on our roster,” said Cheek. “And then – if they can do henna, caricature, face painting, silhouette cutting or balloon twisting – we’ll send them out on jobs.”

“They’ll go to parties and events, and they can earn $100/hour,” she continued. “We have weekly training sessions where people can work on whatever skill they want to learn. We can teach them.”

Centreville High 2022 grad Isabella Solano was there, too, with some of her volunteers from Herralink, the company she founded. But unlike the other businesses, she hoped to find volunteers. 

“People in retirement homes are pretty lonely, and many only get visited a couple times a year because they don’t live near their families,” said volunteer and Centreville High junior Akarshan Anand. “So we provide community-service hours for students, and they visit the seniors and engage them in activities.”

“There are one-hour events, arts and crafts, movie nights, light and art therapy, plus social-fitness events, such as doing chair yoga with the students,” said Solano. “And we also do one-on-one meetings between the students and the residents, on weekends, at times convenient to the students. They’ll do things such as playing Scrabble, watching movies or making jewelry together.”

She was happy because many people from the community visited her table at the job fair and learned about Herralink. “A lot of students wanted to get volunteer hours, but some were also genuinely interested in visiting the elders because of their own grandparents.”  

“This is a wonderful organization,” added Supervisor Herrity. “It’s connected thousands of students with seniors in assisted-living and nursing homes who are basically alone.”

Meanwhile, sophomore Yasmine Hassan was looking for jobs to gain more experience for her future and earn money for college. “I’m thinking of something in the psychology field,” she said. “I also looked at the Gen Z and You table. It’s a business related to mental health and wellness.”

“You help create apps and do internships,” said Hassan. “They talked about how you’d develop and explain your ideas, share them with others and then decide in a meeting if you want to create an app. Some people struggle with keeping up with work, and get burned out and lose motivation, so this would help them with their confidence.”

Friends Nawal Mahmud and Sanjana Sudheer, both seniors, came to the event together. “I was looking for a job for either after school or summer,” said Mahmud. “I looked at some lifeguarding jobs and one teaching and tutoring little kids about music. I liked the lifeguarding because it was really flexible [regarding work hours].” As for the fair, she called it “an opportunity for teens to look for jobs if they don’t know where to start.”

Sudheer said she and her friend visited the same tables. “I also liked lifeguarding because they said they’d work my schedule around other things,” said Sudheer. “And I liked this event because it was in a small area [the school cafeteria], but with a lot of places you could visit.”

An insurance agent, Casey Whitmarsh taught some 100 students in two sessions how to prepare for job interviews and the impact of social media. “I love doing this,” he said. “It’s an important skill set for anybody applying for a job. The fear of the unknown really impacts people. So if they know in advance what to expect in an interview, it empowers them and builds their confidence.”

He said the students appreciated the information and considered it valuable to them. “When I opened my agency, I wanted to give back and engage with the community,” said Whitmarsh. “And I’m all about educating.”

Fairfax High sophomore Matthew Sarracino said he learned how to look good in an interview and on social media. “I didn’t think I’d like this class, but he kept my interest the whole time,” said Sarracino. “I learned you should research your employer beforehand and know what questions they’re going to ask before they ask them, so you can practice and prepare your answers. I want a job in retail, like a cashier, either during summer or after school. The job fair made me aware of my options.”