Windsor Central High School hosted its third annual Day With Professionals Thursday. Approximately 20 local professionals, including Broome County District Attorney Michael Korchak, met with high school seniors to talk about their professional paths and what the students can do to get the best start in their careers, whether their next step is college or the workforce.
“It gives students the ability to connect with someone local and begin forming their network” said WCHS Career Counselor Heather Noyd.
Students did just that, meeting face-to-face with, among others, nurses, educators, engineers, and attorneys.
“It helped me realize the profession I want to go into, and whether I really do want to pursue it,” said senior Ohana Smith.
”I experienced intelligent and thoughtful students, who are diligently working toward their future goals,” said Korchak. “I hope today’s event gave students some insight into the careers they are considering, and valuable contacts for potential internships and job shadowing, which will undoubtedly give them an advantage in achieving their goals.”
This event is part of Windsor’s Future Ready Knights program, which allows students to pursue careers through seven different pathways: Business/Finance, Health Care, Computer Science, Agriculture, Education, Trades, and Engineering, with the help of internships, mentorships, and apprenticeships.
“They were asking relevant questions for their career development: how do you choose a college, how do you pick a major, do internships help, do AP classes help?” said BAE Systems engineer Vivian Mo. “I told them you learn what you like and don’t like through experience and exposure.”
“I learned persistence is a key to success. We even had a businessman go over giving a proper hand shake,” said senior Jordan Starley.
“I got to learn about careers more in-depth, careers I want to pursue in college,” said senior Lucas Casey.
The school will host a Career Expo for sophomores in March and hold another Day With Professionals for juniors later this spring.