As Thanksgiving approaches, the guidance department is actively coordinating with Clinton Human Services to assign job shadow roles to juniors, providing them with the unique opportunity to explore potential career paths through an immersive job shadow program.
Navigating the path to a fulfilling career can be daunting for high school students. At the Morgan School, they understand the importance of real-world experience in making informed career choices. That is why they offer the juniors the chance to gain hands-on experience in various fields through a structured job shadowing program.
Principal Keri Hagness explains how the program provides a structured yet flexible platform for students to explore various career options, helping them envision and plan their futures with confidence. By participating, students gain valuable hands-on experience in fields they are interested in, making it a unique opportunity. “The job shadow program has been in place since I was at Morgan, in 2007. It’s a partnership with Clinton Human Services and the School Counseling Department” said Hagness.
Karyn O’Beirn, the guidance secretary, is like the expert of all things career-related at The Morgan School. She’s the go-to person when it comes to helping students like you explore exciting opportunities like the job shadow program. She says, “This is a fantastic opportunity. This isn’t something that’s done at every single high school”.
This program is run in conjunction with Clinton Human Services, who lead in planning and coordinating the job shadows, ensuring that students get hands-on experience in fields they are interested in. The team involved in running the program includes Shelby Mehmet, Mrs. Hagness, Mrs. O’Beirn, and guidance counselor Nicholas Grasso, along with the school’s coordination efforts. Currently, the interest survey has already been completed, and they have started planning groups for the job opportunities. Ideally, students will begin their job shadows right after Thanksgiving. Juniors must have filled out the survey because once the process starts, opportunities can be limited, and some job shadows might pass if the interest was expressed later on.
The process kicks off with students filling out an interest survey that was sent October 3rd, where they indicate the careers they are most curious about. Based on these responses, Shelby Mehmet, a social worker at Clinton Human Services, meets with the students to narrow down their interests further and sets them up with individual jobs or employees to shadow.
Job Shadow Opportunities:
– Media production/photography
-Advertising/marketing, TV Production/Broadcasting
-Lawyer
-Aerospace/Astronaut and Meteorology
-Medical/Nursing & Neuroscience
-Engineering/civil
– Physical Therapy/Sports Medicine
-Biotechnology
-Business Owner/Entrepreneur
-Coding
-Police Officer/Firefighter/E.M.T
-Early Childhood Education
-Journalism
-Psychiatry/Social Work
-Realtor
-Zoology, Veterinarian
-Fitness/Health and wellness
-Cosmetology
-Auto/Marine Repair
-Marine/Science, Environmental
-Construction/ Electrical/ Plumbing
-Pharmacist, Dentist, Chiropractor
Locations will vary depending on where the job shadow site is. Sometimes, professionals also come to the Morgan School to talk to students about their careers, giving them a deeper insight into the job.
Senior Selina Chen, who was able to follow a nurse for the day at Middlesex Health Shoreline Medical Center over at Westbrook, spoke highly of the program. She said, “The experience I had on the job shadow was inspiring because I got to see behind the scenes of not just doctors and nurses, but other professions in the hospital. I enjoyed listening and working on hands-on activities that they prepared for us, which helped me get a deeper understanding of the medical field. A positive moment I had was when my group got to learn how to stitch the skin of pig feet and had fun with it”. 14 students went on this job shadow and were there from 8:30 am until 12:30pm. Students were able to start off at the emergency department and just talk about schooling, each role a nurse plays, doing stimulation labs like stitching a pigs foot, being in an ambulance, talking to an EMT, talking to a pediatric doctor, being able to do ultrasound on each other, talk to a radiologist, and hear the equipment managers present a slideshow of what their role was.
The job shadowing can occur at any time during the school day, providing a flexible schedule for students to gain valuable insights into their future career paths. This program is an excellent way for juniors to see firsthand what different careers are like and determine if they align with their interests and aspirations.
