Building 417-land’s Future

On April 1, more than 3,000 students from southern Missouri turned up for Build My Future Construction Showcase—the largest event of its kind in the country!

The showcase gave students the opportunity to dabble in architecture, construction, welding and much more with 67 total hands-on exhibits. Among these students was Gideon Banderman, a junior at Hollister High School who is interested in architecture. His favorite booth spotlighted carpentry by assembling a small wooden project with a hammer and nail.

The Missouri Department of Transportation, or MoDOT, was one of the biggest organizations at the event. Marc Lewis, a traffic center manager, says he enjoyed telling students about the range of career opportunities that MoDOT offers.

"There's a career for everybody at MoDOT," he says. "Whether you're into maintenance or construction or design or traffic or human resources or traffic signals, we have everything for anybody."

Events like the Build My Future Construction Showcase are important to the growth of 417-land, particularly as the baby boomer generation begins to retire. That's why Build My Future, a nonprofit organization, invites high school seniors who attend the showcase and are pursuing degrees in construction or design in southwest Missouri to apply for scholarships. The organization also offers grants of up to $500 for individuals entering the construction industry.