Last month, Townsend Harris High School hosted its annual event, Career Day. This event invites past alumni to educate students about the potential career paths that they can pursue. Prior to the event, students had selected their top career choices in a form sent out on March 11 and were later placed in sessions accordingly. During official class, students received their Career Day schedules and, throughout the school day, attended 45-minute presentations on three different careers. The Classic interviewed students about their experiences.
Librarian Arlene Laverde was a part of Career Day as one of the presenters. She said, “Career Day is important because it allows students to see the opportunities [there] for them.”
“One of the things that I wish students did is explore the different nuances in each field aside from your typical career paths like doctors, lawyers, and nurses,” she said. “For example, in the field of librarians, there are also medical, academic, [and] law librarians as well.”
Interim Acting Assistant Principal of Guidance Jessica Graf said, “The goal of Career Day is to bring professionals, practitioners, and teachers to give our students valuable insight into life after Townsend Harris.”
She said, “To create our group of presenters, we reached out to the Alumni Association and our staff to ask them if they would be willing to share their compelling stories. We got more than 40 volunteers to do presentations. There were some instances where presenters canceled at the last minute.”
For past alumni, it was nostalgic to be back at THHS as the school has changed since then. Many have cherished their Townsend Harris experience and expressed how the classes and electives definitely prepared them to decide what they wanted to major in college and pursue their career in whichever field.
Freshman Megan Madelar said, “My favorite presentation was from the healthcare professional that specializes in pediatric critical care. She showed us X-rays of the problems that her patients have physically experienced.”
Sophomore Luna Wang explored the professions of a veterinarian, a public defender, and a journalist.
“I am considering the [career] path of becoming a veterinarian, so this experience was insightful because [the veterinarian] provided the perspective of participating in surgeries for different types of animals,” she said.
She added that the veterinarian “recommended students on what to do if they are considering the path to becoming a veterinarian.”
Sophomore Sinthiya Saika explored the paths of a corporate attorney, a TV producer, and a funeral director. She indicated that the most memorable professions for her were the TV producer and agent.
“The presenter shared her own experiences and [offered] valuable insights into interviewing techniques and journalism, which I found really helpful and relatable as she was part of The Classic [herself] during her high school years,” she said.
Junior Maria Patino said, “It was always interesting for me to hear many different stories on why these presenters decided to choose their specific career paths and listen to the weird experiences that they have encountered while working.”
For seniors, this will be the last Career Day event that they experience. Senior Hira Malik said, “I explored forensic social work, sonography, and journalism and it was great to imagine them as careers that I could possibly major in for college.”
