Since the beginning of our education, we have always been told that school is the foundation of our future: that we need to stay in school to succeed. In many cases, this has proved to be true. A person who wants to be a police officer, a lawyer, a firefighter, a healthcare provider, or plans to go into politics needs a college education. Yes, it's possible to get a job without a college education, but that job will not necessarily have good pay; nor will it necessarily be a stable source of income. Additionally, a high school diploma or GED is a necessity to be able to obtain a well-paying job or join the military. Therefore any in-person presentation on furthering education and figuring out what to do in the future proves extremely more helpful to teens than finding information on a website. Greenfield High School holds the College and Career Fair every year for this reason. 

    The College and Career Fair is a day when guest speakers from different career paths and college representatives come to our campus to provide information for students about their various institutions and careers. The fair provides exposure to post-graduation options for students who do not know what they would like to do with their future. The more exposure students have to a variety of career paths the more likely they will find one they are interested in. Students who don’t have this information are more likely to stay in Greenfield because they are unaware of the many opportunities the world has to offer. It stands to reason that students who attend a more diverse career fair with a wide variety of offerings are more likely to escape the Greenfield bubble.   

   Students are both skeptical of the college and career fair and find it immensely helpful. It depends on who you ask. When The Bruin’s Eye spoke with Elizabeth Sandoval, a junior at G.H.S., she told our reporters, “Yes, I personally found the college and career fair helpful because it helped me extend my options for my future career.” On the other hand, when Enrique Anguiano, another junior at G.H.S., was asked if he found the fair helpful, he had a different point of view. Anguiano told our reporters, “Personally I didn’t find the college and career fair helpful; I understand why G.H.S. takes time to organize such events. At the same time, the event was somewhat polarizing, some stands would only bestow pamphlets or other pieces of information to seniors.” We do see a few colleges, military, law enforcement, firefighters, and agricultural opportunities, but most of the post-graduation options being offered are all local. This sends students the message that they will only have access to opportunities nearby, which is simply not true. Greenfield High students should be privy to colleges and opportunities outside of Monterey County, California, or even the United States.

Only Local Colleges? 

At the College and Career Fair, we have always been informed about colleges in California, UCs, and CSUs, or community colleges like Hartnell, but what about out-of-state colleges? Shouldn’t we be given information about these as well? About careers that will take us out of state? For years we have been focused on local colleges when we should have also been receiving the same about of information on colleges outside of California and even outside of the U.S. Graduating from high school and moving on to college is the time when we are supposed to expand our worldview, get out into the world, figure out what we want to do with our lives. If we remain in this Greenfield bubble, then how are we going to see the world? If the College and Career Fair showcased more than local colleges, or if counselors presented us with out-of-state college options, then maybe more students would find one that suits them. We need more options than just the ones that are local. We need to expand our palette. 

All About Agriculture? 

Agriculture (Ag) is the center of Greenfield’s economy, and it is a big part of G.H.S. About fourteen classes at Greenfield High School are Ag classes. So, it’s no surprise that a focus on agriculture alone has become part of the mentality that keeps us living in the Greenfield bubble. Our community is so centered around Ag that sometimes students with interests outside agriculture do not have the same number of resources or post-college options showcased for them that students who plan to pursue a future in agriculture do. This can even send students the message that we have to be more involved with agriculture. A Greenfield High student can feel pushed in that direction, especially if the annual Career Fair has multiple booths featuring agriculturally related career options but is missing diversity in the careers and colleges showcased. If there were more exposure to careers outside agriculture, such as medicine, engineering, or marine life then students would feel more driven to succeed because they will have more examples of careers. 

Taking Charge of Our Future

But the Greenfield bubble doesn’t just limit students with an expectation of agriculture, it places them in a local academic bubble as well. Growing up in Greenfield there are lowered academic expectations repeated amongst our peers. Our academic expectations for ourselves are set so low that many students believe they cannot succeed academically and so they don’t challenge themselves. One Greenfield teacher starts the school year by discussing what she calls the  “Greenfield mentality,” with students.  The “Greenfield Mentality” is described as doing the bare minimum, not striving to succeed to the best of one’s abilities. This teacher, like many of our teachers, then challenges her students to strive and rise above this mentality. This shared mentality is real, and it is seen by G.H.S. students and teachers in classrooms just about every day. Students put minimal effort into an assignment just to get it done, instead of taking their time to make it their best work. This low-achievement mentality will be broken if students are exposed to more career paths other than just agriculture and going to a local college.

   We don’t have to wait for this change to the College and Career Fair to break through the “Greenfield Mentality” we can break it ourselves. When a person finds something that they are passionate about, then it becomes easier to put in the effort to succeed to the best of their ability. Once we find our passion, we can challenge ourselves within that passion, and succeed in something we love. We are capable of more. We can achieve what we set our minds to and we don’t need to be fearful of failure. When we fail we tend to give up, but just because we make mistakes is no reason to give up. As Greenfield High students, we need to learn from our mistakes and keep going. We need to challenge ourselves beyond what we think we can do. 

    We can freeze, but we can thaw as well.