March 25 2021

Virtual career panel volunteers help guide students on their career journeys

Screenshot of volunteers who participate in the skilled trades virtual career panel

We are so grateful to the many community-based volunteers who have committed their time to participate in our virtual career panels this spring. These pre-recorded discussions with professionals from across the wide career spectrum - from entrepreneurship to skilled trades, healthcare to community organizing and politics - are a critical resource for students as they explore post-graduation career options.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers traveled to individual schools to meet with students in person. This year, with the many challenges of remote learning, panels were intentionally prerecorded via Zoom. Each panel features 3-4 community volunteers from a specific career sector who spend 45-60 minutes answering questions about their work and sharing insights about their personal career journeys.

These virtual events not only ensured the safety of volunteers and students, but have also opened up access to these career panels beyond individual schools to hundreds of additional students from all MPS high schools.

"Our volunteers miss being able to interact with students in person and in real time this year," says Achieve career exposure coordinator, Ashley Musana. "We all miss that terribly. With all the stress students are managing with distance learning, these videos have also allowed much greater flexibility for them to access these important resources when it works best for them." 

Achieve career panel videos will also be presented as part of MPS Career and College Readiness Week, which is happening district-wide the week of March 29, and will remain accessible to students for the foreseeable future.

Our many thanks to our dedicated volunteers - including many MPS and Saint Paul Public Schools alums - who have made this generous investment in our students this year. 

To ensure that you receive information about our future career event opportunities, join our mailing list today. For more details, contact Ashley Musana at amusana@achievempls.org.