DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — Thousands of eighth-graders packed Durham County Stadium in search of careers in the city.

“We came out to look at some jobs we’d be interested in after college and see what interests us,” said eighth-grade student Liana McKever.

Tuesday, Durham County Schools hosted a career exploration day called Acceler8. Julie Pack, executive director, says it’s never too early to expose kids to different careers.

“This is an opportunity for our eighth-graders to see the jobs that are available for them in Durham and as they’re making those plans for high school, so they can have an opportunity to choose the programs that are right for them and not just go to school to go to school,” said Pack.

From tech to agriculture, many businesses got the chance to interact with students.
Students were also able to check out different high school programs like culinary arts.

Julietta Finazzo is a student in Northern High School’s culinary arts program.

“I feel like a lot of kids don’t know about culinary, like my sister, I have a twin sister, and she’s like ‘Wow you guys have so much fun, you guys cook all the time, and I didn’t even know about it,’ so we want to give exposure to our program,” said Finazzo.

Pack says overall her biggest hope is that every student who attended today finds something that inspires them.

“We want students to see that they have a real opportunity for whatever they want to do to match their skills and their interests and right here in Durham,” said Pack.