Students at Osbourn High School were visited by members of the local business community this week for a special Career Day.

The event titled, "African Americans Impacting the Job Force" is in its third year and took place on Wednesday, Feb. 8, as part of the school's Black History Month celebration.

Students met and talked with a wide range of members from the local business community who visited individual classrooms across all grade levels, according to OHS Assistant Principal and organizer Zella Jones. 

There were 25 different volunteers who particpated from various industry sectors, including therapists, doctors, CEOs, presidents, attorneys, law enforcement officers, project managers, and defense contractors, among many others.

Those in attendance included Manassas City School Board Member Sanford Williams, who is an attorney,  and his wife, Dr. Anastasia Williams,  who is a pediatrician.

The guest speakers brought a wealth of information about their careers.

"They grabbed my students' attention and they inspired them," one teacher commented. "My students wanted to listen  because the speakers were very good with interacting with teenagers. It was great for them to see some role models."

"She was a motivator and gave a great pep talk along with great information about being successful and having goals," said one teacher of guest speaker Nancy Barnett. "Her goal was to motivate the students and to motivate them to do their best."

The students had a lot of questions for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers Christopher Downing, Edward Bolton and Kristi Currier.

The trio brought in examples of items that are not allowed to cross the border such as the Edible-nest of the Swiftlet bird, which travelers often try to bring over from China, but are not allowed because it contains the bird's saliva, the students learned. 

Students also heard from Bill Cleveland, of Alexandria, who is a former vice mayor and city councilman of the City of Alexandria and is retired from the Alexandria and U.S. Capitol Police departments; James R. Reese III, who owns his own defense contracting company; and IT Project Manager Chris Cobb.

In celebration of Black History Month, students will hear Black History facts for the entire month of February during the daily announcements and will participate in a literary and art contest,  Cultural Slam event (dance, song, poetry and music), Nat'l African-American Read-In and the 2012 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Festival, where students will have access to on-site admission counselors and panel discussions on black college sports.