Career Shadow Day is an invaluable opportunity for high school students to peek into the professional world and gain insights into various career paths. Organized by Rotary Club of Edmond, this initiative allows students to shadow Rotarians in their respective fields, offering them a firsthand experience of what it's like to work in different industries. As we gear up for another enlightening Career Day, we reached out to some of the Rotarians students will be shadowing to get a glimpse of their anticipation and excitement about this event.

Deanna Boston, CEO of the Edmond Public Schools Foundation said "A recent The Chronicle of Philanthropy article cited a study that found fewer people want to lead nonprofits, so any time I have the opportunity to share my passion with students, or those interested in the nonprofit profession, I jump at the chance! When I work with our next generation of leaders, I have hope for the future! Looking forward to career day and inspiring students to either choose the nonprofit profession as a career path, or engage in their community through volunteerism."

"Job Shadow day is supposed to be for high school students to learn about different career paths, but I’m grateful that Rotarians get to learn about the students of today. It is encouraging to see the potential and promise of tomorrow’s community leaders." - Chief JD Younger

Jennifer Thornton, Tourism Director at Visit Edmond shares her excitement. "Visit Edmond is excited about this opportunity to meet local students. I plan to include them and a staff meeting, tour the Edmond conference center, ask what their interests are and educate them about the importance of relationship building."

"The Edmond Fire Department is excited to share more information about the fire service. We look forward to the students learning more about the career of firefighting and getting to spend some time with members from every division of the department." - Chief Chris Goodwin, Edmond Fire Department

Hunter Cottle, a Financial Advisor at Edward Jones reflects, "This is an opportunity to help someone with making one of the biggest decisions of their life. I became an advisor because someone challenged me to do a job shadow and it changed my life because I am doing what I shadowed for."

"Several members of Edmond Public Schools Technology department are pleased to assist me in sharing information about a variety of careers in technology. The students will visit EPS Technology Center and learn about technology that they are familiar with through their academic activities as well as what happens behind the scenes. We plan to ask about their career plans and share our individual journeys to IT careers." - Anita Linet, EPS Techonolgy Dept

Thank you Whitney Randall for organizing this day and hosting students. We also appreciate Keith May, Alex Kinsinger, Carol Wright, Scott Coppenbarger, and Paul Contrady for spending your morning with the students.

As Career Shadow Day approaches, Rotarians stand ready to provide students with valuable insights, mentorship, and firsthand experiences that will inspire and guide them as they explore their future career paths.