Alex Gonzales swung her legs from a chair in the Heritage Cafe in the basement of the Union on Thursday afternoon, picking at her plate of macaroni and cheese as she watched MSU students walk past her.
In nine years she hopes to be one of them.
Gonzales, 9, made a special visit to MSU's campus for "Take Your Child to Work Day," with MSU librarian Shelia Bryant, a friend of her family.
The event, organized by the Women's Resource Center, offered a morning full of tours and presentations for more than 100 MSU employees and their children.
Gonzales and Bryant toured the Main Library to learn about special collections, followed by a visit to the Michigan 4-H Children's Garden.
But Bryant's favorite event was a stop at MSU Laboratory Animal Resources, where the pair learned about research animals and met the staff that cares for them.
"My favorite part is when we saw the rats and bunnies and dogs," Gonzales said. "They were cute and I want to be a vet."
Bryant said the day was good for Gonzales.
"It's good for the kids to see the different jobs that are out there," she said.
The program started about 10 years ago, and was originally aimed at the daughters of university employees, event coordinator Judy McQueen said. The event has evolved to include all children ages 8 to 12 years old.
"It gives the children the chance to see the real world where their mother and father works," she said.
Participants were able to choose from 15 tours, including a visit to the Cyclotron, Kresge Art Museum, IM Sports-West and a climb up the stairs of Beaumont Tower to listen to the carillon tunes.
At the end of the program, the children received certificates and were given the option of job shadowing their family member.
"The reason that we do the tours and the displays is to show the children the things that are available in addition to where their parent works,"McQueen said.
Many MSUemployees also participate in similar programs in individual departments across campus.
Some parents say they look forward to the annual event which occurs the fourth Thursday of every April.
This was the third year Christine DeFord brought her two sons to campus with her. DeFord, a librarian in the MSU-Detroit College of Law Business Library, said her children plan on coming to MSU.
"The kids like seeing the variety of things that people do at MSU," she said. "It gives them an idea of what they might look for in the future."
