Established 30 years ago as CAPCA’s educational entity, the Stanley W. Strew Trust has enabled CAPCA Members to make thousands of presentations to young people about the Pest Control Advisers’ role in California’s agriculture and landscape industries. From the coloring pages, slide decks and projectors used by the Plant Doctors in elementary classrooms during the 1990s, to career exploration dinners throughout the state for Pathway to PCA college students in the 2000s, everyday CAPCA Members have long taken an active role in telling their story to the next generation. Members will continue this tradition in October at the Student Network Event – a program held during the CAPCA Annual Conference. With a nearly one to one student to PCA/industry professional ratio, the event is a highly informative and interactive experience for students who are considering a career as a licensed Pest Control Adviser.

Began in 2016 by SWS and CAPCA, the Student Network Event brought together students, college and university educators, and PCAs and industry representatives to facilitate conversations for college students to hear directly from PCAs about available career avenues. The success in 2016 lead to the addition of the Educator’s Workshop in 2017. This workshop has been the idea lab for many of the best improvements to the Student Network Event program: an interactive resume session for students, and guided exhibit hall interactions among others. Once again, this fall SWS and CAPCA look forward to another opportunity to share the role of the PCA in California – thank you in advance to the Members who continue to invest their time.