The headquarters of a bank might not be the first place you think of when you hear “field trip,” but for KidsTek’s Business Computing class at North High School, it was the perfect opportunity to practice the networking and soft skills that they’ve learned throughout this school year. Hosted this year by FirstBank at their Lakewood headquarters, KidsTek’s annual Career Day field trip is an important part of the career readiness curriculum for the class at North.
During the event, students met professionals from many backgrounds, both long-time friends of KidsTek as well as an amazing team of FirstBank volunteers. The group enjoyed a tour of the bank’s headquarters, learned about FirstBank careers and community involvement, participated in mock job interviews, and finally chowed down on pizza while getting some career and professional advice.
“There are a lot of ‘adulting’ things that many of us wish we had been taught in high school, and job interviews are definitely one of the most stressful ones!” said Program Manager Emily Tow. “These kids are already a step ahead in that they learned about these skills in class, but being able to practice those skills in a supportive environment is really a tremendous opportunity.”
It’s always incredible to see how many folks volunteer their valuable time to support our students, and for this year’s trip, we were truly blown away by the enthusiasm of the professionals who participated. In addition to long-time friends of KidsTek Nestor Rizo Patron, Cindy Miller, and co-founder Rich Liner, we were also grateful to have help from Bethany Powers, Janet Yegikyan, Audrey Paul, Javin Cyriacks, Tony Cook, Amalya Amirkhanyan, Kevin MazaAmador, Ryan Buerger, and Will BrightFrare.
“FirstBank has been a supporter of KidsTek for many years,” said Program Director Andrew Bissland. “It was great to have their employees work with our students during this visit to show how a business focused on the community can create a positive impact.”
PCs for People’s Manager of Business Development, Meghan Kessler, also accompanied students on the trip. “FirstBank did a great job in making the field trip comfortable and engaging,” said Meghan. “Because of this, the North students seemed to show up as their best, authentic selves.”
Thanks so much to all of the phenomenal folks who helped make this trip such a valuable experience for our students!
