Dr. Donna Fickes, clinical instructor in hospitality administration, addresses a group of students.

Dr. Donna Fickes, clinical instructor in hospitality administration, will be one of the Stephen F. Austin State University faculty members on hand at Human Sciences Preview Day on Feb. 27 to help Nacogdoches High School students explore careers in this field. The event also will provide students with an overview of SFA’s human sciences programs.


NACOGDOCHES, Texas — About 60 juniors and seniors enrolled in hospitality and family and consumer sciences courses at Nacogdoches High School will explore their career options in these fields and more at the School of Human Sciences Preview Day on Feb. 27 at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The full-day event also will introduce NHS students to campus life and the experiential learning provided by SFA’s programs in construction management; family and consumer sciences; food, nutrition and dietetics; hospitality administration; human development and family studies; interior design; and merchandising.

“We want to introduce the students to the type of experiential learning that occurs within our programs to successfully launch them into careers focused on consumerism and effective individual and family living,” said Dr. Brittany Fish, visiting assistant professor in the School of Human Sciences and faculty advisor for Preview Day. “In doing so, we want the students to understand the connectedness our programs have in preparing them for broad-based employment.”

After a tour of the school’s facilities with human sciences ambassadors, or SFA students majoring or minoring in a human sciences program, NHS students will attend breakout sessions focused on their selected programs. These smaller groups will allow the juniors and seniors to discuss their future plans and areas of interest with faculty members and SFA students in the programs.

For lunch, NHS students will watch a classroom be transformed into the elegant SFA Culinary Café before enjoying their meal prepared by hospitality administration students.

“In the School of Human Sciences, our programs and industry careers are really focused on the experiences that individuals or families have,” Fish said. “This type of event helps SFA build bridges with our secondary education partners to enhance student knowledge in making an informed selection for their post-secondary endeavors.”

For more information on Preview Day, contact Fish at fishba@sfasu.edu.