By Mike Russo
The school held its second School-to-Career Advisory Breakfast of the year on March 5. The event — at which students talk about their experiences at different jobs and workshops they take part in — was well-attended by school faculty, local businesses and students who took part in the program.
Billy Damon, a junior, was one of 30 Baldwin High School students that took part in the FedEx Men's Youth Leadership Conference at Dowling College last December. Students were selected by teachers and coaches to attend the conference based on leadership skills, and joined other high school students from across Long Island. Damon attended work- and college-related seminars where he learned interviewing tips, as well as the importance of dress and mannerisms. Damon, currently employed with the Town of Hempstead ANCHOR program, said he learned a lot there from having to make quick decisions and working with a lot of different people .
"We learned the value of teamwork and how to cover for each other at a moment's notice," said Damon. "Two minds are better than one. It's always important to listen to other people and not just go your own way."
Jasmine Robinson traveled to Deloitte & Touche, LLP, an accounting service, with the rest of the students in her College Accounting class. Robinson said that after meeting with several of the employees there and learning the ins and outs of the business, she no longer sees accounting as the "big bad wolf." In fact, the experience led her to pursue an internship in Valley Stream. Said Robinson, "I learned that the sky's the limit when you put in hard work."
Kyle Williams, a member of the high school robotics team, shadowed officials at engineering firm Northrop Grumman. Williams, who said he plans to pursue a career in computer hardware engineering, said he was further influenced toward that goal by things he saw during that experience, which included elements of the American air-defense system. "It was an experience I will not forget," said Williams. "To see how the different positions come together to create new technologies...We the students are the ones who will create the technology of the future."
Arlene Isaac-Lowe and Sandra Mahoney of the Nassau County Chapter of Jack Jill of America helped organize the inaugural Teen Leadership Summit in January. Isaac-Lowe and Mahoney, both Baldwin residents, took 122 Nassau students to SUNY College at Old Westbury, where the students took part in workshops on communication skills, politics, credit and time management. Later in the day, college students met with the high school students to explain the ins and outs of college life. With 40 students attending the Teen Leadership Summit, the Baldwin School District had the highest representation of any district in Nassau.
Board of Education Vice President B.A. Schoen said it's great to hear how well received Baldwin students are when they visit different offices. He said that sometimes people who don't have children or that aren't involved much in the schools on a regular basis tend to forget how much young people have to offer. Often, Schoen said, employers are taken back when they see buttoned-down students behaving professionally and asking great questions. "The School-to-Career [Advisory Breakfast] is really one of those high points of the school calendar," said Schoen.
Comments about this story?MRusso@ liherald.com or 516-569-4000 ext. 283.
