The Brightside: JA Inspire brings 4,000 students to explore careers on the Eastern Shore
WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. — Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore held its version of a Super Bowl, bringing more than 4,000 students to the Wicomico County Civic Center over two days. The event highlights the impact on eighth-graders across the Eastern Shore in the latest edition of The Brightside.
The event was sponsored by Choptank Electric Cooperative.
Junior Achievement Interim President Erin Williamson said, “Welcome to JA Inspire. JA Inspire was designed to bring all eighth-graders across the Eastern Shore to one location to explore and see the possibilities for careers.”
Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore helps inspire students to branch out and learn about careers in their communities. Williamson said this is the nonprofit’s biggest event.
“Over the past two days, the grand total will be somewhere around 4,000 students from across the Eastern Shore — Accomack, Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Somerset, Wicomico, Worcester and Sussex counties. So we have about 10 counties here,” she said.
With students running around, more than 50 vendors shared what makes their jobs unique. Local businesses lined the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center, and one business literally shocked students.
“Their young team really showed students how to change a tire. They’re shocking the students with the electric circuit — you hear the screams throughout the day,” Williamson said. “They’re pairing that with their automotive technical school, showing students how they can actually get into a career in automotive and what that might look like.”
Other participants included NASA, TidalHealth, the University of Maryland Agricultural Extension and many more. Eighth-grader Brooke Whone tried out a new skill.
“Oh. Doing CPR. You like that? No. It was scary,” Whone said.
Although she may not pursue a medical career, she’s ready to make an impact on the next generation.
“I didn’t realize how many careers there are and how high school can show you different options. The TAM program is probably what I’ll take when I go up there,” Whone said.
Another eighth-grader, Duyland Miracasasola, tested construction tools.
“Ever since I was little, my dad always told me that you can do whatever you want, but because he does construction, I want to follow in his footsteps,” Miracasasola said. “I really want to work with him.”
His eyes kept drifting toward NASA’s section.
“I liked that there’s a lot of cool stuff you can do. You get to experience things that are really unique — you can help people, go to space, do research,” Miracasasola said.
“That’s the fun of the event — you never know what might spark your interest,” Williamson said.
“This brings students together so they can see possibilities they didn’t even know existed. They can see that there is a job that matches their interests and can make them successful in the future,” she said.
Junior Achievement has hosted its Inspire event for seven years.
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