South Hill Puyallup Rotary Club helped organize the first annual Health Careers Fair at Emerald Ridge High school on Saturday morning, January 11, 2020. About 100 students and parents from Emerald Ridge, Rogers, and Puyallup high schools attended.

Learning from the Community

Professionals from the community set up information tables to talk individually with the students. Others led break-out sessions to offer small group conversations. The keynote speaker was Dr. Katie Haerling from the University of Washington – Tacoma. She talked about the wide variety of fields included under “healthcare” such as dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing, pharmacy, home health, and more. Several colleges were present to talk to students about their program opportunities and entrance requirements.

Pictured are Dr. Hopke, an orthodontist,  telling a student how he fell in love with his career after spending years doing research. Also pictured is Julie Long, Executive Director of Pierce County Nurses Association, talking with a group of students about career opportunities in the field of nursing.

Other Rotary clubs interested in participating next year are invited to contact either Patti McMullen or Suzanne Johnston at South Hill Rotary.