PVS hosts its first College and Career Night

Pleasant View School hosted its first College and Career Night on Thursday, March 5 where students met with various professionals.

Students in grades six to 12 participated in the event. 41 career professionals from the following fields attended: engineering, business, education, health and medicine, information technology, communications and graphic design, imams and religious leaders, higher ed/research, nonprofit and law.

Professionals spoke to students about their field of work and answered any questions the students had. Students were also able to connect to future volunteer, shadowing, and internship opportunities with these professionals.

The sessions were set up in classrooms to give students and professionals the opportunity for an open conversation.

College counselor and English teacher Jennifer Alejo supervised the event. And high school students helped coordinate the event, working on everything from the program design to set-up.

“The purpose of this event was to connect students to career professionals from a variety of fields to learn about the responsibilities associated with each career and the paths these professionals took to pursue those careers,” Alejo said.

Approximately 100 students and parents attended the event.

Alejo said the event allows students to explore careers and help them decided their path in college.

“Events such as these expose our students to career opportunities in these fields that they may not have otherwise been aware of, which is undoubtedly beneficial as we advise students regarding the college search,” Alejo said.

Even the professionals expressed their gratitude at being able to speak to such a talented group of students.

And with its success, College and Career Night will be an annual event.

“As we work to connect our students even more to community opportunities, this night was a significant step in this process,” Alejo said.