On July 25, youth at Tillamook Youth Correctional Facility and Camp Tillamook got a glimpse of what their futures could hold. The career fair, organized by the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) and Trask River High School, brought local employers, military recruiters, and community college representatives to the school’s gymnasium. Participants shared job leads, skill-building advice, and real-world opportunities with OYA youth.
According to Jennifer Falzerano, OYA’s statewide education coordinator, the agency hosts career fairs at its facilities “to offer hope.” Tillamook-area WorkSource Oregon manager Angeline Chan-Pepper echoed this sentiment, noting, “We want to help them to be as successful as they can be.”
That work to set youth up for success began well before the fair. Educators at Trask River High School prepared students with pre-fair sessions on respectful introductions, follow-up questions, and how to show active interest. One youth said the preparation helped him understand how to be professional while still “letting us be ourselves.”
“That ability to communicate meaningfully,” said Trask River Principal David Miller, “is a skill set that may ultimately be more important than the job itself.” With skills like these, youth will leave OYA better positioned to “survive in the world.” Students were encouraged to keep an open mind and, as one youth noted, to realize that “even if I don’t get to do my first choice, I still have backup options — and there’s good options.”
One option that surprised youth was the apprenticeship program promoted by the sprinkler fitters’ union. “You look up… especially somewhere like Costco, and you don’t really think about who installs those,” said one student. “I didn’t know this was a job.” Another shared that conversations at the fair helped him seriously consider careers he had never thought about before.
Several youth said the opportunity made unfamiliar careers feel more accessible, even with their justice involvement and varying timelines for release. For OYA and its partners, that’s the goal: not just to inform, but to expand what youth see as possible.
At Trask River High School, this mission goes beyond a single event. Serving around thirty high-school-aged youth and fifteen young adults between nineteen and twenty-five, the school offers both academic and hands-on learning. Youth explore a wide variety of trades — from culinary arts to bike repair, basic construction to coding, and blacksmithing to drone piloting. This exposure helps students earn licenses, certifications, and degrees, while building a foundation for success in the modern workforce. Through its partnership with Tillamook Bay Community College, students can also explore what higher learning may offer them.
That foundation — of skills, exposure, and encouragement — is what makes events like the career fair so meaningful. Youth begin to see where they fit and how they can contribute. As Principal Miller put it: “Confidence leads to courage. Courage builds capacity. And hope — hope wins in the end.”
This article is also featured in the Tillamook Headlight Herald.