Thursday, February 03, 2000
Take a kid to work day
Thousands explore career ideas
BY AMY HIGGINS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Brandon Digiantonio likes math and is good with his hands, but he's never considered a career in the estimating department at a construction company.
Not until a visit Wednesday to Frank Messer & Sons Construction Co.
“This sounds like it's right up my alley,” said Brandon, a Deer Park eighth grader. “Sometimes you can't tear me away from my Legos.”
That kind of epiphany is exactly what organizers of Junior Achievement's Groundhog Job Shadow Day were hoping for. More than 1,300 students tagged along with professionals in Greater Cincinnati.
“They're giving kids information so they can make better decisions,” said Carolyn McDole, president of Junior Achievement of Greater Cincinnati. “We can talk about it in the classroom, but when we do bring them in, it is eye-opening.”
Junior Achievement had about 500,000 kids across the country on Wednesday — Groundhog Day — playing shadows in all sorts of industries. People who had shadows included former President George Bush, Gen. Colin Powell, Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, Hercules actor Kevin Sorbo, and Miss America Heather Renee French.
Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken had two students from Roselawn Condon School shadowing him.
Delta Air Lines hosted about 65 students from Taylor Mill's Woodland Middle School.
Woodland career teacher Sam Hacker said the eighth grade is the perfect time to show students different workplaces because they have to start making decisions in high school about what path to take.
“Within the next four or five years, they are going to have to make a big decision,” Mr. Hacker said. “It's one of the most important decisions they'll ever have to make.”
Woodland's Rick Lenihan said he isn't interested in an airline career, but learning more about Delta and the airport will make the next time he flies more fun.
Convincing the kids to seek aviation careers isn't necessarily Delta's goal, said Kim Witherspoon, a customer service supervisor. Much of the tour is just about showing kids there are options and opportunities they hadn't thought of.
“I think it gives us an opportunity to have some small role in guiding the future of children,” Ms. Witherspoon said.
But Nate Staggs has thought for months he might like to be an airline pilot when he grows up. And his experience on Wednesday may help him along: “It just makes me more confident, and stuff.”
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