Youth of all ages are invited to explore opportunities for their future careers through a two-day event in downtown Chattanooga. On Friday Oct. 2, over sixty ninth through 12th grade students from The Howard High School and Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy will attend the STEAM Challenge Day at Miller Park. The day will feature an exhibit fair highlighting STEAM career and academic pathways alongside art activations, live performances, games and music. 

Destiny Washington with the host organization, The Gold Horizon, said, “The goal of the day is to provide students with early access to and exposure to viable pathways through 'edu-tainment,' a form of entertaining instruction designed to overcome trends of academic apathy.”  

Exhibitors at the event will include S.E.E.D, Tennessee Aquarium, Blue Sky Tennessee, The Tivoli Theatre Foundation, Audubon Society and more. 

“STEAM Challenge Day provides interactive, research-backed opportunities for high school students to engage with STEAM in a hands-on setting.

As Chattanooga emerges as a leader in quantum mechanics and technological advancements, The Gold Horizon is working to ensure Chattanooga’s next generation of leaders are aware of opportunities and pathways for post-high-school graduation,” said Ms. Washington. 

The second event, On the Horizon Resource Fair, will be hosted at the Downtown Public Library on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. The free and open to the public event offers families an opportunity to explore local programs and organizations that inspire confidence, build skills and unlock potential through tutoring, mentorship, STEAM programs, arts, camps, career exploration and other supplemental learning opportunities beyond the classroom.

“As a Chattanooga native, I felt it was important to bring my education and expertise back to the communities that poured into me, " said Ms. Washington. “As Chattanooga continues to expand as a city, I want to make sure student initiatives aren’t left out of the emerging creative events.

“When I graduated high-school, I didn’t see local professional pathways that fit my interests, which led to me being gone for almost a decade. I want students to see that their hometown can be an incubator for development.”

STEAM Challenge Day and the On the Horizon Resource Fair are produced through River City Company's Emerging Producers Program, which offers education, support and mentorship to up-and-coming event producers with a vision to create unique and diverse event experiences in downtown Chattanooga.

The events are sponsored by River City Company and the Lyndhurst Foundation. For more information, visit www.thegoldhorizon.com/events.