What do a registered nurse, a CEO, and a camp director have in common? The answer is absolutely nothing, and that is the point. Homestead’s Career Fest serves as a sampler platter for life; the goal of the festivity is to expose students to as many potential futures as possible, so they can discover what potential careers they would like to learn more about.
Homestead’s second annual Career Fest took place on April 14 during what would typically be students’ first and second period classes. Students selected three guest speakers to listen to. The selection of guest speakers featured over 30 local members of Mequon’s community.
In addition to hearing speakers explain their job and path to it, students spent time in the cafeteria, where they took a self-guided tour through a variety of informational tables that promoted local careers and potential workplaces.
Matthew Wolf, Homestead Academic and Career Planning Coordinator, is responsible for the creation of Career Fest.
“[I was motivated by…] the desire to give students a variety of career speaker opportunities and interactions,” Wolf said.
While the quantity of Career Fest’s guest speakers has grown from Homestead’s first Career Fest in 2025, the quality of the students’ experience is always prioritized.
“Career Fest is designed to expose students to potential careers and let them hear directly from the experts currently working in those fields. Although the sessions students attend last only one day, we hope the presentation and dialogue will fuel their interest in future careers,” Lindsay Charles, Homestead Assistant Principal, said.
Career Fest places authenticity at its forefront. Its rationale behind guest speakers is to provide students with a variety of examples of what the ebbs and flows of a professional journey look like.
Students are able to tailor their speaker selections around their interests, allowing these members of the future workforce to see as much or as little career variety as they please.
“The event is designed to help them explore various pathways that align with their personal passions,” Jeni Appleby, Homestead Counselor, said.
Lorin VanWagenen, AVID 11 Teacher, often advises her students to remain open minded not just during Career Fest, but whenever they are discussing or exploring different career options.
“In the words of Ted Lasso ‘Be curious, not judgemental.’ Maybe try learning about a career that sounds fun or interesting, but you don’t know if you really want to pursue it in college. Being curious allows you to explore something outside your comfort zone. You may not realize how much education or critical thinking goes into certain careers, so don’t be so quick to judge,” VanWagenen said.
In the 2026-2027 school year, Homestead will host its third annual Career Fest, and the staff is already eagerly anticipating what may come of it.
“I think actual job shadowing would be so beneficial [to Career Fest]. To see what the day-to-day job is like would be awesome. Doing something like a mentorship bridge where they go to job shadow a speaker that they saw would be awesome,” VanWagenen said.
