Students learn from professionals and practice their informational interviewing skills
Kyna Bate-Boyle
The students at Takoda Prep High School took part in two special events in March. These events showcased both their professionalism and their interest in career exploration. Jessica Rousseau, the Case Plus Coordinator at Takoda Prep, organized an informational interview session for her students to practice conducting professional informational interviews with career professionals from within the Native community. Some of the career professionals that attended were from the Indian Education Department, Minnesota Department of Health, Hennepin County Library, and one of our own, Amber White-Bear from Takoda.
The students were able to learn more about the real-life experiences and the journeys each of the career professionals took. It helped give students insight into what that particular career looks like and how each career professional took different steps to succeed and get to where they are today.
What followed was a JAG Career Conference at Minneapolis Community Technical College, in which students attended a morning session of informational interviews with over 60 career professionals and an afternoon break-out session, where students were able to pre-register to attend a more in-depth look into certain career fields of their interest. Students were able to learn more about the career professionals in a variety of various fields within a smaller setting,
Students exchanged business cards they created within their Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) class and were able to network with all of the career professionals they met within the Conference.
