A Career Readiness Q&A Panel was held on June 3rd, 2025 in the GHS Hieber theater. The goal of this panel was to bring in professionals from the school and community to provide advice and expertise to students. This event encouraged students to engage and explore the panelists’ professions through interactive questions and answers. The panel lasted the duration of 5th period. All were encouraged to attend, including those in PREP and teachers who wanted to visit.
The ten panelists are as the following:
- Marc Caron, a Drywall Finisher
- Leanne Schoenfeld, a dental assistant and nutritionist
- Megan Bizzarro, the Food Service Director at GHS
- Luc Ouellet, a PAC/RN nurse
- Marisa Sullivan, an MRI Technician
- Rebecca Sperry, an Admin Assistant, writer, and social media manager
- Linda Gosselin, a GAP Administrative Assistant and teacher
- Nathan Bracy, a teacher and house painter
- Jaime Gratton, a teacher and dock manager
- Ryan Worsman, an engineer.
The diverse selection of panelists allowed for a wide variety of fields for the students to learn about. Students could ask questions to all the panelists or specifically to one. For example, a question asked to all was, “How do you separate your work and personal life?”. Each panelists answered according to their own experience which provided different perspectives. A direct question asked to Leanne Schoenfeld was, “How difficult was the transition from being a dental assistant to a nutritionist?” Since Leanne had experience in both careers, she was able to provide insight on her segway.
After the panel concluded, attendees were able to further their curiosity by having one-on-one conversations with the experts. Students not only collaborated but gained someone they could rely on for their future endeavors.
Additionally, the panel promoted an opportunity starting in 2025-2026 school year. Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO), a program ran by Mr. McDermott. It’s a mentorship program, essentially providing one-on-one conversations between students and him. Being a part of the program would ensure students are given guidance on what and how to pursue a career post-high school. The program is offered to students with or without knowledge of their future steps. After establishing clear goals, Mr. McDermott can offer students with a Directed Study. This includes him networking to connect the students with a professional in their correlating field of interest, where they can shadow or intern.
Due to the panel’s success, National Honors Society (NHS) reached out to utilize the panel’s format, organized by Aubrey Caron and Makana Herbert, to host two career panels a year.
