CANFIELD — Gavin Sanders’ career choice is a bit murky, but it’s not a stretch to assume that one day it likely will take off and soar.

“I would like to fly drones for military purposes, photography or filmography,” the Jackson-Milton High School sophomore said.

Gavin, who also is taking a robotics course at the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center, got an elevated opportunity to convert an interest in drones to a long practice session. That’s because he was among an estimated 250 high school and middle school students as well as instructors representing 12 schools in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties who took part in the Northeast Ohio Future Pilots Drone showcase Tuesday at the recently donated Williamson Innovation Park, 8399 Tippecanoe Road.

The five-hour gathering was a collaboration between Youngstown State University’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and the Educational Service Center of Eastern Ohio.

Also exploring the possibility of launching drone-related careers were fellow Jackson-Milton High sophomores Vance Kinnick and Logan Noble.

“I thought drones were cool, but there’s a lot more to them that you can do career-wise,” Logan said.

Tuesday’s gathering also served as an extension of Kinnick’s interest in aviation, and may prove to be another notch in his desire to land a career as a mechanical engineer, he said.

James R. Harrison, a Struthers High School junior, was leaning toward a career as a civil engineer, but being privy to drones, along with their career and other applications, he changed his mind.

James, who has his own fixed-wing drone that resembles a model airplane, said he may enlist in the U.S. Air Force or establish a career in the aviation field.

Robert Eggleston, the ESC’s career counseling coordinator, noted that his agency launched drone programs about two years ago at the high school level. Upon graduating, the students can earn a drone certification from the Unmanned Safety Institute that will allow them to quickly segue into good-paying careers, he said.

“There’s tons of opportunities for the kids, but it’s new technology, so a lot of people don’t know about it,” Eggleston added.

Tuesday’s hands-on career fair also was to spotlight to the students the connection they can foster with a significant sector of the business community, he continued.

Wim Steelant, dean of YSU’s College of STEM, recalled having received a call about nine years ago from the late Warren P. “Bud” Williamson III, who served a board chairman of the WKBN Broadcasting Corp. and, among other things, was an avid builder and flying enthusiast.

Williamson, who died Oct. 4, 2022, at age 92, espoused his vision for a space that would allow young people to develop and cultivate a love for science and discovery. To that end, Willliamson donated the 220 acres for the park that bears his name.

“Outreach, outreach, outreach, and to get kids to do things with their hands — that was his vision,” Steelant said about Williamson.

The Northeast Ohio Future Pilots Drone gathering was the first event since YSU assumed ownership of the park in February, Emilie Brown, the university’s director of STEM outreach and scholarships, noted. Three STEM-related summer camps are set for the upcoming months on the property, Brown said.

Also on hand Tuesday were several Williamson family members, including Warren Williamson IV of Massachusetts, who recalled that his father, as a child, built transmitters from coils, tubes and resistors. About 30 years ago, the elder Williamson entertained the idea of establishing a park “just for science and kids” to whet young people’s appetite for the field and related careers, Williamson IV said, adding that his father believed that cultivating others’ interest in science needed to begin long before they entered college.

Another positive aspect of the Williamson Innovation Park is that it can enhance students’ sense of wonder and belonging, both of which often result in better learning, Susan Brownlee, “Bud” Williamson’s daughter, said.