March 9, 2009

Willow Glen High celebrates third annual Career Day

Vicky Morris-Malvini and her sister-in-law Lisa Morris are the owners of the two local Bella James boutiques. They opened their first store on Lincoln Avenue in the Garden Theater Building in March, 2006. The two were part of the fashion panel at Willow Glen High’s Career Day. Photos courtesy of Michele Bertolone

By Carol Rosen
Editor

Willow Glen High was jam packed with what appeared to be a number of older students on Feb. 12, but they were actually speakers for the school’s bi-annual Career Day.

More than 130 adults came to school that morning to describe their careers and answer questions from the school’s 1,500 students, who range in age from 15 to 18. There were more than 30 different panels including everything from owning a clothing store to running a hotel and from police officers to fire fighters to journalists, DJs and film producers.

The panelists came from all walks of life and represented careers as diverse as judges and lawyers to nurses and physicists. Panelists included District 6 City Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio and San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis. It would have been hard to find an occupation that wasn’t represented.

Willow Glen High School Principal Shannon McGee welcomes more than 130 panelists to the school’s third bi-annual Career Day. Panelists got to take the morning off to talk about their careers and answer questions from students interested in learning about them.

New this year was a keynote session, which featured several different speakers. The students attended one keynote speech and two panels. One of the keynote speakers, DJ Edgar Sotelo, “ShoBoy” for station 101.9 brought an energetic tone to his keynote speech and the panel in which he spoke afterwards.

After a brief speech by Principal Shannon McGee, the panelists were divided into their particular groups and escorted to their classrooms. There they spent approximately three hours talking to three different groups of students about their careers and how they got to be where they are today.

And for those of us serving on the panels, it was really fun. The students asked interesting questions and no one appeared to fall asleep. Unlike my panel two years ago, this one included another newspaper reporter and two film producers as well as Sotelo. While many of the questions focused on film production, a couple of students were curious as to whether or not journalism as a career would be viable in the future—given today’s market.

Pierluigi Oliverio, a graduate of Willow Glen High School and currently a city council member from District 6—which includes Willow Glen—discusses his job as a politician.

It’s always fun to see the students and ask questions about what direction they hope their life will take. Most are like many of us as kids, unsure of what they want to do or where they want to go. That’s why these career panels are so much fun. It’s very nice to see their eyes light up as they ask questions and get answers they may not have thought about.

The high school’s College and Career Center, led by Louise Gill, coordinates Career Day. Gill works very hard to make it a success and for this year’s program she had help from a parent volunteer committee including Melinda Gedryn, Yuri Sasaki Woo, Michele Bertolone, Laurie Toscano and Vern Ladd. They began putting the program together last August.

Sponsors for the event, which includes a continental breakfast and an Aqui lunch for the panelists includes the Willow Glen Middle and High School Foundation, Willow Glen High Parent Club and Rotary of San Jose Sunrise.