Gardena, CA, January 31, 2014: Over 70 representatives from various industries took a day off at their respective jobs to present at the Serra High School Career Day last Friday. It was the biggest turnout in school history, and a welcome showing after a two years’ absence of the event. In attendance were rocket scientists, lawyers, entrepreneurs and firefighters, men and women of all ages. They gave up their Fridays to present to students in their classrooms – a departure from the conventional job fair of years past.
To show appreciation, Serra offered lunch and a brief presentation of thanks by the principal Dr. De Larkin and the coordinator of the event Bernard McCrumby. The outpouring of emotion and gratitude was evident as Dr. De Larkin thanked these esteemed guests for what they were giving to the school community. During lunch, several of the speakers talked about their background and told us their pitch to the students.
Bruce Herring, a Systems Analyst, spoke of the importance of being able to communicate with people and to pay attention to the various strengths his coworkers brought to the job. His advice to the seniors was “connect with people along the way and develop networks.” He urged them to “pay attention to who you are talking to, because you never know who is watching and listening.”
Capt. Harold Golden, who has been part of LAFD for over 20 years, working from San Pedro to the foothills of the Valley, told students right off the bat to watch their social media use. “Be very careful of how you build your base now. In today’s society, employers are going to social media to see who you are as a person. Those things you didn’t think would matter are now having an impact in your future.”
Deidre Apablasa, mother of English teacher Ms. Apablasa, has been a nurse for over 30 years. She started out working at Daniel Freeman in Inglewood, and now works at UCLA as the head RN on staff. She sees it as a great opportunity for all high school students to make a good living while helping people. “Your job really can be your vocation, where you are connected to people all day long. I’m pretty lucky.”
Joan Ervin, an aerospace engineer, works at JPL in Pasadena on their Mars missions. She works on overseeing the instruments that are sent to Mars to make sure that they work on the spacecraft. She urges students to stay focused and to think about what they have fun doing. “Get involved in extra-curricular activities if you can. Do what is fun and what you enjoy. It’s really up to you to do what you love.”
To show appreciation, Serra offered lunch and a brief presentation of thanks by the principal Dr. De Larkin and the coordinator of the event Bernard McCrumby. The outpouring of emotion and gratitude was evident as Dr. De Larkin thanked these esteemed guests for what they were giving to the school community. During lunch, several of the speakers talked about their background and told us their pitch to the students.
Bruce Herring, a Systems Analyst, spoke of the importance of being able to communicate with people and to pay attention to the various strengths his coworkers brought to the job. His advice to the seniors was “connect with people along the way and develop networks.” He urged them to “pay attention to who you are talking to, because you never know who is watching and listening.”
Capt. Harold Golden, who has been part of LAFD for over 20 years, working from San Pedro to the foothills of the Valley, told students right off the bat to watch their social media use. “Be very careful of how you build your base now. In today’s society, employers are going to social media to see who you are as a person. Those things you didn’t think would matter are now having an impact in your future.”
Deidre Apablasa, mother of English teacher Ms. Apablasa, has been a nurse for over 30 years. She started out working at Daniel Freeman in Inglewood, and now works at UCLA as the head RN on staff. She sees it as a great opportunity for all high school students to make a good living while helping people. “Your job really can be your vocation, where you are connected to people all day long. I’m pretty lucky.”
Joan Ervin, an aerospace engineer, works at JPL in Pasadena on their Mars missions. She works on overseeing the instruments that are sent to Mars to make sure that they work on the spacecraft. She urges students to stay focused and to think about what they have fun doing. “Get involved in extra-curricular activities if you can. Do what is fun and what you enjoy. It’s really up to you to do what you love.”