The future looked bright at East Hampton High School’s annual Career Cafe last week. The school’s business advisory board organized the event, which brought an array of local professionals to the school cafeteria for a few hours to teach the juniors about their jobs.
“We have nurses and scientists, ranging all the way to actors and writers. We have the Army and Coast Guard here. The F.B.I. came in to talk to students. We have business contractors, musicians, everyone,” said Emma Boyle, a junior who is the vice president of the business advisory board. “Just seeing all of these students grasp this opportunity and look and see what they might want to go into is really cool. And to be able to participate in it and talk to these mentors is insane. It is honestly so helpful for the future.”
Erik Peterson, a physical therapist in Amagansett, brought models of pelvic bones and shoulder joints to show to students with an interest in physical therapy. “I’m just introducing them to what physical therapy is and what the opportunities are in a career in physical therapy, what it takes to get into a physical therapy school, to get through physical therapy school, and what they can expect to see as potential jobs as they get out,” Mr. Peterson said.
Earlier this fall, the juniors selected three careers of interest. They were able to participate in two different professional mentoring sessions based on their preferences. “We meet with the students in September and we ask them about their top three career choices and then I try to place them in their top two so they can really learn more about the fields they’re interested in and see if it’s something they will like and enjoy,” said Cathy Tyrie, a business teacher who runs the business advisory board. “This way they know from professionals what they need to do to get started in the future.”
Lily Rasi is considering a career in cosmetology and learned about professional photography from The Star’s own Durell Godfrey. “She helped me understand that you can really do anything,” Lily said.
The East Hampton High School principal, Sara Smith, hopes events like this will help prepare the juniors for some of the big decisions they have to make over the next two years. “Often, with college applications, students have to go into college knowing what they want to do. And so, our juniors definitely have a tremendous amount of pressure, with A.P. exams, SATs, and their course loads,” Ms. Smith said. “So, this is meant to be a low-pressure event that also works to help them see what different careers are all about.”