High school holds career day
SPARTA The Sparta High School hosted a career day for the students on Feb. 14. Community professionals volunteered their time to speak about their professions to the students.
The students had the opportunity to chose between two sessions from State Senator Steve Oroho; New Jersey Herald reporter Jessica Masulli Reyes; New Jersey Herald Internet director Amy Paterson; Christopher Young, a Merger and Acquisitions expert from Berkery Noyes; Joseph Caravella from TransOptions; Maggie Davis-Jelly, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker; Sandra Morrison, a Nurse Practitioner at New Perspectives Health Care; Ernie Hofer, an Engineer with expertise in Process Design; Karl Latham and Joe Mowatt, professional musicians; Nathaniel Sajdak, the Wallkill River Watershed Coordinator; Don Parriott, a Director of Policy Management and Scientific and Business Practices and Ethics at Daiichi Sankyo; and Timothy Dinan, an Attorney at Laddey, Clark and Ryan.
Sparta High School Guidance Councelor Timothy Librizzi said "This was a great opportunity for our students to investigate possible career choices, and we were honored to have local business leaders meet with our students during this event. The classroom atmosphere provided a great opportunity for personal interaction which allowed our students to get accurate information about various career fields. We look forward to organizing this event again in the future and hope to make it even more extensive."
"It was great to speak with young adults to discuss their potential careers," said Sandra Morrison.
State Senator Steve Oroho said, "I always appreciate the opportunity to talk to young adults and students about the importance of preparation, hard work, life long learning, and most importantly, a person's reputation in all successful and respected careers. One of the highest honors and responsibilities an elected official has is to speak with students and young adults to de-mystify what elected office and representative democracy is all about."
Karl Latham, a professional musician said, "Teaching at the college level, I often witness a disconnect between a student's preconception of the skills and preparation needed, as well as, the reality of day to day life of working professionals. I believe events such as Career Day provide insightful information to aspiring students enabling them to make better choices toward career paths that will be personally fulfilling."
"I was very impressed with the students. They were polite, interested and engaged in the conversations," said Don Parriott.
Chris Young said, "I enjoyed speaking with the students about their hopes and dreams and possible career paths."
Mitch Morrison, a Sparta Green Team member offered, "Our young adults are now competing on an level basis with young adults in India, China and Brazil and all of the emerging nations. Programs like The Sparta High School Career Day, The Sparta Middle School Career Fair (on May 18), The Sparta Youth Business Competition (email mmorrison@nac.net for the details), The Sparta Youth Internship Program, etc. might help answer some basic questions that some students might ask Why should I study math, science, English, history, art, languages, etc.?"
Timothy Librizzi added, "The students who attended the presentations were attentive, engaged, and certainly gained valuable insight on possible careers available right here in our community."