On Friday, October 25, Concord High School held another successful career day. This year 35 speakers came to talk to the students about their careers, some of whom were Concord alumni. During the morning, the speakers came to present to the students. In the afternoon, juniors and seniors had mock interviews with speakers and people who volunteered.
The mastermind behind this day is counselor Mrs. Otto, who encouraged students to choose a career close to their pathway and reached out to people with a wide variety of careers such as taxidermist or park ranger. She has been planning this since last year, explaining, “It takes a while to look for jobs that the students might like or might not know about.”
Head of YouTube for commerce advertising for America at Google, Jessi Rositas Kincaid (who herself came from a small town) encourages students to not focus so much on where they come from or what they want to major in, but focus on characteristics that will make them successful. She explains that, “having a growth mindset, being a problem solver, having GRIT, being flexible, and trying to learn as much as you can…are much more important to develop as a young person than picking a major.”
Not able to choose the careers he would have liked, junior Johnathan Clouser ended up liking the ones he was given. His favorite was Drew Philson, a Concord alumni who works for Mutual of Omaha as an actuary. Clouser explains, “The actuary was very interesting. Even though he was on a Zoom call, he was very informational… It really made me interested in that career.” Mr. Philson was kind enough to send Clouser his presentation so that the information is easily accessible as Clouser continues to weigh his career options.
Out of the four that he visited, sophomore Easton Woolworth’s favorite career was the taxidermist, Nature’s Pride Taxidermy, which is owned by Dan and Emily Weeks. Woolworth tried to choose careers that were close to his interest. Woolworth shares what went differently: “My last career was the general contractor, and I wished they came. I was really looking forward to it.”
Out of all the 35 choices, junior Bella Coppernoll mainly picked medical-related careers. Her favorite career was, Monica Mandrell, an x-ray technician. Coppernoll shares that, “The medical field is interesting, and it is close to a veterinarian which is what I want to do.”
A huge thank you to all the speakers who gave up their time, Mrs.Otto, and everyone who helped set up the event. We look forward to next year’s career day.
