On Feb. 6, more than 800 high school juniors attending Queen Creek, Combs, Casteel, Higley and other area high schools had the opportunity to explore educational and career options during the second annual Elevate for Tomorrow conference provided by the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce.
The E4T conference was a result of discussions between business leaders and educators during the Queen Creek Education Summits held in 2016, focusing on how business leaders and educators can prepare students to build a better workforce.
Students heard from Kevin Scott, a nationally recognized speaker with the Chick-Fil-A Leader Academy, and Lee Benson, an accomplished CEO and visionary. They participated in networking activities and had the opportunity to speak with more than 30 representatives from local businesses and Arizona colleges and universities.
More than 70 percent of the students rated their overall experience as either four stars or five stars on the exit survey.
The event would not have been a success without the sponsorships and support of Chick-Fil-A, San Tan Ford, Queen Creek Performing Arts Center and Queen Creek Unified School District Career and Technical Education.
Other sponsors included Joshua Development, Central Arizona College, Sterling Services, Mountain America, Core Construction, Harrison Law PLLC, Climatec, Angel Air Cooling and Heating, and Northern Air Mechanical Services.
Editor's note: Angela Askey chairs the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce Education Committee.