Valerie and I had lots of fun participating in the CK Student Career Expo last week! The event was very well-organized and all the youth were prepared with professional questions & notebooks. The goal was for the students to interview various organizations / employers throughout the day to gain insight on potential career fields.
Val and I started the day by checking in at Kapolei High School and getting set up. We ran into some familiar faces right away and there were people all around campus ready to direct us to our station. The campus was huge, but hard to get lost with so many people ready to help!
The first group of students to interview us were from Campbell High School. They were a little shy at first, but warmed up as we continued talking (like many students we met). They had all kinds of interesting questions for us: “If you could do things over, would you pick a different career path?”; “Where do you see this career in 10 years?”; “What first interested you in this career?” It was a great opportunity to reflect on how we got to the professional point we’re at now and what first peaked our own interest in film. Through answering question after question throughout the day, Val & I discovered that we had similar stories – we grew up with a love of watching films, went on to study films in college, then decided we wanted to start making our own. It was fun reminiscing about the college classes I took, the various film programs I’ve participated in, and the passion I still have for making & teaching film. But, most importantly, it was inspiring to see how many youth share that very same passion!
Many of the students we met were already in digital media programs at their schools, make short films in their spare time, or have a desire to start learning film skills. We had quite a few students express interest in working with us or participating in our programs, and various teachers / educators stopped by our table to talk about outreach opportunities. We even had a few youth actors express interest in working with our filmmakers!
After a few hours of Campbell students, then Kapolei students cycling through our area, it was time to grab lunch, wrap up and head out. The time passed quickly and I left feeling full in both body and spirit. Once again, it was truly inspiring to see this next generation of youth explore and prepare for their career paths. Hope to see some of them at our future events, programs, or even as employees!