This week, we teamed up with an amazing group of North Clackamas teachers to do something that would have been unthinkable not long ago: Provide virtual mock job interviews for 180 students in three days.
The tech hurdles were huge, yet teachers and volunteers persisted. And you know what? A beautiful thing happened, creating opportunity and a tiny bit of normality for some great high school students.
One other small victory this week: We accepted 30 students into our Fall 2020 Future of Nursing Mentor Program. Most are from underrepresented populations; all have big dreams.
“Thank you for this opportunity! I am grateful and excited,” one student wrote upon hearing the good news. This is a young woman writing during a pandemic, from a recent wildfire evacuation zone, yet she’s pushing ahead with plans to become a nurse.
Other upcoming opportunities include tomorrow’s Virtual Career Talk with PCC Swan Island Trades Center, one of the region’s top options for students interested in the trades. In November, we’re teaming up with ZGF Architects, Wieden+Kennedy and many other employers to create virtual experiences for students.
We add new virtual events almost every week, all year. Click here to view the recordings of our fall career talks and see what's coming up next. We're thankful for the many employer partners opening their virtual doors to students this fall to help young people get inspired and prepared for life after high school, including Greenbrier Gunderson, Kaiser Permanente, Oregon Humane Society, Mahlum Architects, KGW, Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, The Oregonian/OregonLive, and more. Each one has an impact, as students and teachers attest:
"Each of the panelists are so passionate about their job and it was so interesting." – student, Oregon Humane Society Career Talk
“It was great to finally get some insight into the trade and have some leads on actually creating a career after high school."
– student, Greenbrier Gunderson Career Talk
"It was an amazing experience." – teacher, Mahlum Architects Career Talk
Once again, thank you to our industry partners for making the Future of Nursing Program possible, including the University of Portland School of Nursing, Kaiser Permanente, OHSU, and Legacy Health, as well as the grant funding from the Oregon Community Foundation and Legacy Health that is helping us work more intentionally around equity.
Mark your calendars for the annual NW Youth Careers Expo, which will take place virtually this year March 16-17, 2021. Stay tuned for more information about becoming a sponsor and exhibiting at the Expo. In the meantime, please consider making a gift to PWA this month, or sign up as a monthly donor. Even small gifts of money and time add up to make a big difference.
