Fairfield, CA - On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District (FSUSD) in partnership with the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce welcomed approximately 1,500 eighth-grade students from across the district to the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Suisun City for the annual "Inspire: Dreams Start Now!" 8th-grade career field trip.
"Inspire: Dreams Start Now!" is a unique and inspiring career initiative aimed at motivating young minds to discover their passions and explore their career aspirations within their local community. This year's event featured the participation of representatives from 35 local agencies and businesses, offering students the opportunity to engage with various career paths, including construction, cosmetology, law enforcement, technology, healthcare, the arts, and many more. These organizations provided hands-on activities and presentations to help students explore their career interests and establish valuable connections with local businesses.
Kristen Witt, Senior Director, Secondary Education at FSUSD and a driving force behind the event, shared her thoughts on the significance of "Inspire: Dreams Start Now!" "This marks our 7th annual 8th grade Inspire Dreams Start Now event. I am so grateful for the collaborative partnership with the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce and the many local businesses and organizations that participated this year. A huge shout out to Medic Ambulance, Solano County Office of Education, Miracle Math, Napa Deli and Dutch Bros. Their sponsorships this year provided t-shirts for every student, transportation to and from the event, bags to hold the items that student received during the event, lunch for the vendors and volunteers, and breakfast and coffee for the vendors and volunteers. The 8th-grade event is meant to spark the interest of our students so that they can begin to envision what a potential future career may look like. The Inspire Program will build upon this exposure 8th grade and provide education on careers in 9th grade, a job shadow experience in 10th grade, resume building and college or technical training guidance in 11th grade, and connections to internships and job opportunities in their 12th-grade year."
FSUSD would like to extend its great appreciation to the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce, KROC Center, Medic Ambulance, The Napa Deli, Solano County Office of Education, Travis Credit Union, Republic Services, Russell Louis Design, Dutch Bros, and Miracle Math as well as the businesses and agencies who participated for their partnership in making this year's "Inspire: Dreams Start Now!" a successful and memorable event.
