Wallace Community College Selma Blog

Wallace Community College Selma brought the world of work to campus Friday, October 23, 2026, as Career Quest 2026 connected visiting students with hands-on activities, industry representatives, and educational opportunities.

Hosted in partnership with the Alabama Community College System, the event was designed for K-12 students across the college's service area. Exhibits and demonstrations helped students explore career interests while learning about the skills, training, education, and credentials that can turn those interests into opportunities.

Across campus, students moved from information tables to interactive stations, trying activities that ranged from bricklaying and hairstyling to healthcare simulations, and technology demonstrations.

The day began with a Business & Industry Breakfast, welcoming partners and guests before the student activities. Guests gathered around tables for breakfast and a program, while the serving team provided a warm welcome. Wallace-branded mugs and Career Quest gifts added a personal touch to the gathering.

Healthcare exhibits gave students a close look at patient-care training. Participants gathered around medical mannequins, observed a childbirth simulation and practiced chest compressions with guidance. Baptist Health and Quest Diagnostics were among the exhibitors, connecting the day's activities with healthcare and laboratory career possibilities.

Students explored construction through a bricklaying activity and tried hairstyling techniques on a mannequin at the college's cosmetology station. Public safety exhibits brought students face to face with protective equipment and emergency-response vehicles, including a Selma fire truck and displays from police and sheriff's personnel.

Technology offered additional ways to participate. Students tried simulator controls inside the college's Mobile Innovation Lab, while small drones flew within a netted activity area in the gym. Other tables featured computer information systems, STEM activities and technical training equipment.

A Career Quest scavenger-hunt passport added another interactive element. The cards included clues about career fields and spaces for staff signatures, encouraging students to explore the stations and connect what they saw with different kinds of work.

Exhibitors represented a broad range of career and educational pathways. AeroPro brought aviation displays, Alabama Power presented equipment and HVACR training information, and the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education shared resources. Sport Clips, Deckorators, ACCESS Virtual Learning, the U.S. Air Force and Technical Training Aids were also represented.

Career Quest was organized around nine career areas: healthcare; cosmetology; education; public safety; transportation and logistics; energy and utilities; aviation; hospitality and tourism; and construction and manufacturing. The event connected those broad areas with people, tools and experiences students could explore firsthand.

Co-chairs Calvin Griffin and Brandi Dannelly led event planning and coordination, supported by college employees working across school outreach, partner engagement, facilities, food service, promotion, and welcoming responsibilities. The collaborative effort reflected President Dr. Donitha Griffin's vision for an immersive, student-centered career exploration experience.

By bringing students, educators, and employers together, Career Quest put the college's mission into action: Building Pathways. Creating Opportunities. Changing Lives.

Downloadable copy: 
Career Quest 2026 Brings Hands-On Career Exploration to WCCS