This month, Marathon Petroleum Company’s Garyville Refinery sponsored the second Journey to Careers: 7th Grade Career Fair for all public and private schools in St. John the Baptist Parish.

Almost 600 students participated in the fair, with over 100 employees volunteering to make the day a success.

The first day of the Career Fair coincided with National Cancer Day.

A student from East St. John Preparatory Academy was participating in the fair when a teacher informed our volunteers that it was his first day back to school following treatment. Volunteers presented him with a Kindle Fire Tablet.

The student was so happy and thankful for the gesture, and in turn overwhelmed many of our volunteers with emotion.

During the career fair, all students were given a “Passport to Opportunity” booklet, which included descriptions of entry-level careers available at the refinery, as well as a simplified flow chart of how the refinery works.

Students were encouraged to use the books throughout the day to take notes in anticipation of a Q&A session at the end of the event.

If the students answered a question about what they learned that day correctly, they won a Walmart Gift Card, Kindle Fire or a pair of MPC branded headphones.

Almost 100 prizes were given away, thanks to the generosity of our contractors and local community vendors. We were so pleased with the outcome of this event and plan to continue the career fair annually.

I’d also like to take this time to talk about an upcoming fundraiser for the San Francisco Plantation in Garyville. The event, Frisco Fest, is their largest fundraiser of the year and will be held on the plantation grounds from March 16-17.

Good food, crafts, a 40-mile cycling tour, a 5K run, and a car show will be held over the festival weekend.  MPC helps organize the event and other sponsors join in to support.

I encourage you all to come out to enjoy this family friendly event. More information about the weekend’s festivities can be found at www.sanfranciscoplantation.org

Megan Hudson is human resources manager for Marathon Petroleum’s Garyville Refinery. She can be reached at mnhudson@marathonpetroleum.com.