Medicine and music were the prominent themes in a pair of essays submitted by freshmen from John Overton High School and Antioch High School following the seventh annual “My Future, My Way” Career Exploration Fair at the Music City Center.
The students, Lindsey Dao of Overton and Nolan Carasquillo of Antioch, were recognized by the Metro Nashville Board of Education at this week’s meeting for their outstanding essays detailing their experiences at last November’s career fair. The “My Future, My Way” Career Exploration Fair is held annually by the Academies of Nashville and the Chamber so Metro freshmen can learn more about what it takes to create a career they’re passionate about. More than 7,000 students toured the 2015 career fair, and each had the assignment to take notes about the potential employers they met and to write about what impressed them most.
Dao wrote that the career fair helped her explore possible careers in health care; a conversation with a Vanderbilt University Medical Center physician helped her understand what she would need to pursue a career in pediatrics, her area of interest. Carrasquillo was impressed by the live performances of the Nashville Musicians Association, and his discussions with the musicians helped him understand what it takes to have a career in the entertainment industry. The students were presented to the school board by David Davoudpour, chairman and CEO of Shoney’s, presenting sponsor of the “My Future, My Way” Career Exploration Fair.
In my five years of being the Chamber liaison for the career fair, the event has always been so inspirational. I love to see how the career fair progresses each year, and it’s great to see our freshmen learning from businesspeople and interacting with them in such a professional manner. Our sponsor, Shoney’s, and our hundreds of business partners are committed to providing a memorable learning opportunity for the students and helping them learn about promising careers.
The Feb. 23 school board meeting celebrated student achievements. Front row, L-R: David Davoudpour, Torri Johnson, Beverley Flatt, Rita McDonald, Lindsey Dao. Back row, L-R: Chris Henson, Sharon Gentry, Tyese Hunter, Jill Pittman, JoAnn Brannon, Adrienne Koger.
