Career Day 2010

Check out what a huge success Career Day 2010 was!

On Saturday, July 31, 150 students from across Let’s Get Ready’s mid-Atlantic sites gathered at the Robert F. Wagner Middle School with over 50 professionals from the New York City area. The day-long career preparation workshop started off with a bang with inspiring speeches from two exceptional speakers. First, Dr. James Peterson, assistant professor of English at Bucknell University who specializes in hip-hop and popular culture and has been interviewed on national news stations such as MSNBC, spoke to the students about being the difference they want to see in the world. Next, Gbenga Akkinagbe, professional actor starring in the hit series “The Wire” and movies such as “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,” recounted his childhood experiences and his work to make a difference. He motivated the students by telling of how important going to college was for him, and how he felt empowered to create his own future.

Next, the students were split into 8 classrooms where they interacted with at least 6 professionals in each room who spoke about their careers, career goals and networking. Everyone took the RIASEC personality and career assessment in order to get a better idea of how their personalities can translate into possible careers.

The final part of the day was the Career Fair. Students were excited to circulate around to all of the 8 tables representing different career fields and mingle with the respective professionals. “I had an amazing day today and found it to be a worthwhile event. I am glad I came,” said Hazera Akhtar, a student from the Harlem site. Ivan Polanco from White Plains also remarked that the event was “very inspiring for college.” A big thanks to all of our students and professionals who helped make Career Day 2010 a huge success!