Sophomore Jere’mis Windbush and his mother came to a career and futures fair on Thursday night to see what it will take to get into the computer field.

“I like to work with computers,” he said. “I like learning how to be able to fix them and build them.”

“We’re trying to start him out on the right track,” his mother, Michelle Windbush, said. “We wanted to see what it’s going to take for him to choose a school and enroll.”

Dozens of high school students and their parents attended the fair at Nansemond River High School. About 25 presenters came to speak to the students, including four-year colleges, technical schools, the military and representatives from a number of career fields.

“Hopefully, this will pique the students’ interests,” said Esther Harrell, career coach at Nansemond River High School. “If you have some idea of where you want to be, you need to take courses to help you decide.”

Harrell said a variety of institutions were invited, because “we recognize a lot of kids are not going to college,” she said.

Trinita Porter, guidance counselor at Nansemond River, said even some students who plan to go to college need help in the process, especially for first-generation college students.

“Some students want to go to college, but they don’t know how to get there,” Porter said.

Juniors Teyanah Turner and Emily Kirby visited the fair to look at available options. Teyanah wants to be a crime-scene investigator, and Emily wants to own a daycare.

“She told me I needed to see what was out there,” Teyanah said of her mother, who took her to the fair.

Amos Harvey, an admissions representative at Tidewater Tech, said he likes talking to the students, whether or not they are looking to go into one of the four trades offered at his school.

“I enjoy talking to kids,” he said. “I try to guide them. A lot of these kids may not want to go into traditional four-year colleges.”

Tidewater Tech offers automotive tech, combination welding, building maintenance and repair and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning tech trades.

Harrell and Porter considered the career and futures fair a success.

“We’re giving them a selection of what to look for,” Porter said.