This post was written by SVSLI board member Sandy Mercer.
I frequently tell students that as adults I know they will want to find jobs that best provide for their families, but that investing in their education may also allow them to work at a job they love. A few weekends ago, our first class of SV-SLI high school scholars sat around a table at Greenberry’s coffee house on a Saturday morning to talk with Grant Parrish, an aerospace engineer, and Jim Wampler, a physical therapist, about their professional careers. I selected an aerospace engineer and a physical therapist because they represent two career areas the students have expressed interest in. However, I specifically asked Grant and Jim to speak to the scholars because I know both individuals to be caring men who love what they do.
While watching the student scholars engage in conversation with professionals, I was reminded of a time when I was a junior in high school. My guidance counselor asked me to speak to her graduate school class about “Teens Who Care,” an organization of which I was serving as state president. After the class, she and a few classmates took me out for coffee and dessert. I was so excited to sit around a table of educated professionals, watching them talk and laugh together. It was if they belonged to a “club” that I hoped to someday join. The members were kind and encouraging to me. It was the first time I heard of Freud, so when I looked confused, they took time to explain what they were talking about.
While my coffee and dessert experience occurred long ago, I remember it vividly because it gave me a chance to envision my future as an education professional. I hope the morning conversation at Greenberry’s allowed the student scholars to visualize the options still ahead of them.
If you liked this post, check out this article about the “Secrets of the Most Successful College Students”.