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On Friday, THINC College and Career Academy held its sixth annual THINC Fast at West Georgia Technical College. The event saw over 70 different local businesses and leaders from diverse backgrounds.

Event coordinator Dr. April Armstead said THINC Fast provides students the opportunity to get involved and engage with local business and industry leaders. Community and business leaders participated in mock interviews for students, which allowed them to share their interests, goals and plans for the future.

“For some of them, this was their first experience in an interview situation,” Armstead said. “This allowed them to build their confidence in speaking articulately about their careers, their pathways, what they want to do after they graduate high school, and I feel the students have benefited from it.”

Georgia House Representative Randy Nix was among the mock interviewers. He said he was impressed by the work ethics of the students and how many of them wanted to be entrepreneurs.

“Their vision of what they want to do is very, very good,” Nix said. “It inspired me to see them in what they want to do.”

Kamari Holt, an attendee of the event, said she felt like the event helped them to prepare for the real world.

“Today gives us a chance to practice interviewing and see what a real job interview will be like,” Holt said. “We also learn how to sit properly, ask questions and make sure we have all we need to get a job.”

Armstead said students also get the opportunity to hone soft skills during the event.

“Our amazing students have as a part of the curriculum soft skills and that involves things like team building work, ethics, punctuality, communication, teamwork, problem-solving,” Armstead said.

Tre’veon Thrasher said he felt the soft skills they developed in class have helped him punctuate better and learn more communication skills.

“I’ve done multiple interviews for jobs,” Thrasher said. “The skills we develop here at THINC help me, and I feel they should be taught at all the different schools because it’s something that every child needs to learn.”

MaKiya Hardnett said learning the soft skills helped her communicate with others.

“At first, I didn’t know what soft skills were, and I didn’t know how to talk to people because I was a little shy. With the soft skills I have learned, I can better present myself professionally.”

Principal Jennifer Pike said the impact of THINC Fast is huge for students, and she loves seeing their confidence grow professionally.

“The biggest thing is they’re very nervous — they don’t want to go in right away and some of them are physically shaking before they go in,” Pike said. “But, once they get in and get set up with their person, they become a little more comfortable. When they come out, their level of confidence has multiplied exponentially, and I think that’s the greatest thing about this event.”