Towards the end of November, 26 Hanson juniors had the opportunity of selecting a career to job shadow for a day as part of their employability class. Students were matched with job shadowing experiences based on career interests and career matchmaker results. By doing this, students got to experience firsthand what that job entails.
Hanson teacher, Mrs. Kelli Endorf, and Hannah Willis from the Department of Labor assisted with lining up the job shadowing experiences for students by making the initial contact. For the experience, students had to compose a cover letter and create a resume to send to their mentor. They also had to practice their communication skills by calling to confirm the date and ask questions regarding their experience. The places the juniors attended varied greatly from CorTrust Bank in Mitchell to Sanford Health in Sioux Falls to Birth to 3 in Brookings.
Erin Dewald shadowed Jenny Klinkhammer, a speech pathologist for Brookings Health System and Birth to 3. Dewald commented, “I learned a lot about the day to day activities of being a speech language and had a lot of fun doing so. This experience gave me a better idea of what I want to do with my life to help people and enjoy doing it. I’m excited to keep researching and possibly choose to pursue this career in my near future.”
Reid Smith, a mortgage loan originator for CorTrust Bank in Mitchell, allowed Keenan Waldera to shadow him for a day. Smith expressed that job shadowing is a fantastic opportunity for students to see what a typical day is like, determine whether a certain job is right for you, and ask questions to learn more about the position.
Smith stated, “As a recent graduate, I didn’t get to experience times like this. With saying that, I respect the staff at Hanson High for letting the students go experience something that may be out of their comfort zone. I wish I could have been involved to get a better understanding of what the ‘real world’ is like. Students need to really take advantage of this opportunity and take it all in.”
Overall, Mrs. Endorf said that she was pleased with how the job shadowing experiences went and felt that it was a meaningful opportunity for students. Mrs. Endorf appreciated the help and support from the various mentors. Without their help, students would not be able to partake in the job shadowing experiences.