On March 20, over 65 speakers arrived on campus to introduce students to a diverse range of potential professions. Every other year, Aragon hosts Career Day, an event in which students attend three lectures presented by speakers who talk about their occupations.
Aragon’s PTSO sponsors Career Day, with a committee of parents organizing the entire event. Aragon’s college and career adviser Laurie Tezak says, “We are very fortunate to belong to a community of parents dedicated to putting this whole event together. They contacted the speakers starting from May of last year, and some parents even volunteer as speakers.”
After receiving feedback from the past Career Day surveys, Tezak realized that students wanted a wider variety of speakers. She says, “This year differed from the rest because we did a complete turnover with our speaker choices. We offered choices ranging from chefs to counterterrorism experts in order to allow students to learn about popularly recognized professions as well as jobs that students did not even know existed.”
To make the event more appealing to students, the parent committee prioritized including younger speakers. Tezak says, “Students feel more comfortable communicating and listening to someone closer to their generation as well as past Aragon students. This year, 15 alumni participated as speakers.”
With a variety of job fields to choose from, sophomore Meiya Lim says, “I want to work in an animation studio in a few years, so I selected Megan Mendelson, the visual effects artist. She incorporated inside jokes that students interested in technical engineering would understand and find entertaining.”
Junior Nicholas Tong says, “I enjoyed listening to Casey Davis, who had graduated from Aragon just a few years ago, because he understood the concerns of high school students, so he seemed genuine and I found his advice applicable.”
In hopes of persuading students to develop an interest in entrepreneurship, Casey Davis, co-founder of McMacular, a local pants company, says, “To many people at a young age, starting a business seems impossible. I want high schoolers who have business ideas in the back of their minds to gain the courage to start thinking about entrepreneurship, which is why I introduced Kickstarter to them, which can help young students fundraise right now for their future companies.”
However, Dennis Miller, a corporate lawyer for Oracle, says, “I came here to introduce students to the different routes of practicing law, but I don’t think students at this age can possibly commit to what they see their future as in ten years.”
Miller adds, “High school students who want to go to law school should not choose an undergraduate major related to pre-law because 75 percent of undergraduates interested in law change their plans and do not end up wanting to go to law school. Instead, they should pick a field that interests them and then apply for law school if, by that time, law is still their preferred career choice.”
Senior Victoria Villacorta also notices the nature of students to change career plans, saying, “My choices this year differed dramatically from my choices freshman year because throughout the last two years, I took advanced classes that have influenced my interests.”
Tong adds, “I thought about maybe studying international law, and even if I change my mind in a few years, I will still have gained knowledge on that path. After talking to someone who has gone through the process of becoming an attorney, I feel that I have a better idea of what lies ahead if I end up going after a similar career choice.”
For sophomore Catherine Yee, Career Day did not draw her interest to any potential professions. Yee says, “Even though I signed up for photographer, I just don’t see that choice or most of the choices offered to us as realistic. It’s great to find a job that is fascinating, but I also prioritize the salary and the amount of family time that comes with a job.”
As a counselor, Tezak notices the effect of Career Day on students, saying, “Students often want to pursue a career without knowing much about the lifestyle of the career. The purpose is mainly to give students a taste into the lifestyles of different occupations.”
