Students enrolled in the city of Camden’s Catholic Partnership Schools (CPS) are learning to take confident steps on their future career paths without ever leaving their classrooms, thanks to the schools’ Speakers Bureau.
“CPS has a primary focus on providing an excellent education that prepares our students with the skills they need for success in rigorous high schools so that they can choose college and a profession or trade,” explained Jameka Walker, CPS’ executive director.
To this end, the middle school Career Training Exploration class was implemented, enriching students in grades six through eight with visits from professional in various career fields.
“When you talk to students about what they are interested in as a career, they might respond that they want to be a doctor or a lawyer; when you dig a little deeper, they say, ‘I want to help people,’” Walker said. Due to the myriad of professionals they meet via the Speaker Bureau, she said, “you can tell them there are many ways to help people and show them there are hundreds of careers they never knew existed.”
Held an average of three times per month, each Speakers Bureau guest offers students about an hour’s glimpse at his or her profession while broadening the youngsters’ occupational horizons. Through presentations, question-and-answer periods, and hands-on examples, students are motivated to explore a variety of possible careers they might never have considered pursuing.
“Career day speakers provide invaluable real-world insights that connect classroom learning to tangible career paths. The speakers have inspired students by sharing their experiences, challenges and successes. Each visit engages students to broaden their horizons and sparks curiosity about future opportunities,” said Kevin Soriano De Pineda, CPS’ alumni relations coordinator and Career Training Exploration instructor.
“I see this as a powerful way to show students the relevance of their education and motivate them to dream big,” he said.
Throughout the years, speakers have included members of the prosecutor’s office, entrepreneurs, accountants, attorneys, information technology, video production, supply chain management and healthcare professionals, Walker said. Upcoming speakers include those in the fields of finance, event planning and media.
“They are very diverse, and are in traditional and nontraditional careers,” she added.
Proving the sky is the limit for all students regardless of their backgrounds, Walker shared an encouraging statistic: more than half of the presenters were Catholic Partnership Schools graduates.
“They say to the students, ‘I sat where you are. I was a Catholic school student, I am local, I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a career choice,’’ she said. “It is really powerful, and there is a connection. Students see the diversity.”
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”
