Around 68 students from John Champe High School got a glimpse into their future by participating in Job for a Day which was held on Tuesday, Nov.12.
This was the first year John Champe gave juniors and seniors this opportunity. It was free of charge and allowed students to shadow a particular job field. Community employers hosted it to educate students on real-life situations.
“I was so excited when I saw that this opportunity was given to us,” senior Lily Lawing said. “I was excited to see a field I wouldn’t have gone towards if it wasn’t for this program.”
(Alexis Gustin/ Pounce Solutions)
Plastic surgery NOVA hosted some students from John Champe. This allowed for students to go in and observe plastic surgeries, and let them experience what working in the medical field is truly like.
“It helped me get a lot of experience for the field I want to go into,” junior Odera Chukwu said. “The medical field is very complex and it helped me understand more about the career I want to pursue.”
Steering away from the medical field there were also opportunities in Engineering/weaponry. The Northrop Grumma, a global aerospace, defense and security company, hosted a few students, allowing them to see how this field works and operates.
“ Even though I didn’t want to go into this field, it was still a very interesting and fun experience,” Lawing said. “If I go the opportunity I would go again, I definitely recommend for other people wanting to go into this field”
Throughout Loudoun County, over 800 students enrolled into the program, and about 600 students attended their posts. It covered many fields including: medicine and health, communication, marketing and local government. Every student that attended gained something from this, and Loudoun hopes to see more students attending every year.
“I was very surprised with how many students applied for such complex and interesting fields,” school counseling administrative assistant Samanatha Gardari said,“but I am so glad to see how many students had a fun and positive experience, because that was our goal.”
With college coming up, the upperclassmen found this experience to help with the stress of their futures and careers. Allowing them to be inserted into real life situations in their interested field helped them narrow down what they truly want to pursue.
“I was really grateful for the opportunity given because I don’t think people realize how intense the medical field is.” Chukwu said. “I know for me, I wasn’t expecting to see real surgeries, but I’m glad I did because it helped me decide if plastic surgery is something I really wanted to do.”
Loudoun makes sure to give plenty of opportunities to better their students’ lives and get them ready for the future. This helps our upper class students every year by letting them explore their options, set goals for themselves, and truly get to know what it is like working in different fields.
A group of students that are learning about the FUELED campaign. They were apart of job for a day, led by Loudoun County schools.
(Alexis Gustin/ Pounce Solutions)
“Having these many opportunities early in our careers and the end of highschool really helps me get prepared for the work environment that is waiting for me,” junior Ruby Price said. “With other things like teacher cadets, internships, and now a job for a day. It makes me feel more confident about going into the education field.”
