More than 1,400 high school students, including about 600 from Fairfax County Public Schools, attended the sixth annual Instruction 2 Industry (I2I) Future Ready Conference at the Inova Conference Center in Fairfax on Mar. 16. The event, hosted by Virginia Ed Strategies, brought together nearly 200 industry professionals and representatives from over 140 local businesses and organizations.
The conference aims to help students explore a range of career paths across industries such as construction, public service and safety, arts and entertainment, energy and natural resources, and health care. For many students who have not yet chosen a future path, the event provides exposure to careers they might not otherwise encounter.
Students received badges indicating their fields of interest and had opportunities to speak directly with professionals about job responsibilities, required skills, and educational pathways. Optional mock interviews were also available to help students practice communication skills and gain confidence for real-world interview situations. “I think this opportunity is a wonderful experience to get the exposure in all of the different career clusters, and see which one suits you best,” said Guwani, a senior at Annandale High School.
Giang, another Annandale senior, said she was excited to explore potential majors while building professional connections. Hussna, a senior at Falls Church High School currently working as a pharmacy technician, attended hoping to take steps toward a health care career. “I think this conference is great and has a lot of opportunities, and I think this is a great idea to help the students,” Hussna said. “I am here to get myself a position in Inova Hospital.” Fariha from McLean High School shared her goal: “My goal is to get a job at Inova and go to NOVA Community College.” Aliya from Falls Church High School added: “I’m really grateful to be here. I think this is the best opportunity for a young professional who wants to start working right after graduation.”
Montell Brown, assistant principal at Centreville High School said: “This conference is an amazing opportunity for our students to explore a wide variety of career fields and postsecondary opportunities that they would not necessarily be able to see within the school building. It has allowed their eyes to be opened to many different worlds of possibilities.”
The I2I conference is hosted by Inova and Virginia Ed Strategies in partnership with Northern Virginia school districts. Organizers say providing robust postsecondary pathways aligns with FCPS’s Strategic Plan Goal 5: Leading for Tomorrow’s Innovation.
