On Feb. 25, 2020, CueCareer and AWFS hosted a “Career in the Classroom” virtual event, featuring two industry professionals. The 30 minute event was broadcast to three schools in different parts of the U.S.
Seth Nardo, general manager at Reborn Cabinets (Anaheim, CA) and Hannah Khalaf at Dixon Enterprises/SurfPrep Sanding (Lake Elsinore, CA) contributed time in their morning to participate in the event. They provided a brief summary of their career path and what “a day in their life” looks like at work. They answered student questions that came in via the chat feature on Zoom.
“We developed an event as a way to bring industry ‘into the classroom’ without the traditional constraints of cost, transportation, and other logistical challenges, says Heather Wetzler, co-founder of CueCareer. “We have been hosting ‘Career in the Classroom’ events since 2018 and they have been successful and growing.”
The schools that participated were: Mark Keppel High School (Alhambra, CA) with instructor Paul Lam; Ignacio High School (Ignacio, CO) with instructor Molly Turner; Reed-Custer High School (Braidwood, IL) with instructor Mark Smith. The instructors are provided information about the presenters and their companies prior to the event and they are encouraged to share and discuss with students in advance to generate questions. They are asked to submit questions in advance, but questions can also be asked during the event via chat. The students see the presenters via Zoom video, but the students/classrooms are not recorded during the event.
“AWFS is happy to partner with CueCareer and appreciate their creativity in identifying ways to connect students with our industry,” says Adria Salvatore, AWFS Assistant Executive Director/Education. “We see events and opportunities like this as important tools that we can use to bridge industry and education and promote careers within our industry.”
If you would like to participate in the next Career in the Classroom event (as an industry presenter or as a school), contact Adria Salvatore at adria@awfs.org.