By Kevict Yen
The Mount Madonna School (MMS) 2022 Career Forum was a terrific success! On March 11, MMS high school students were able to engage for a couple of hours with a diverse panel of nine adult professionals to learn more about their careers and what life circumstances led them to their present-day professions.
The morning opened with a half-hour round of “What’s My Line?” where students, organized by grade level, were read an adult’s response to previously written interview questions. The students conferred for a minute before they were faced with the challenge of guessing which adult authored that response. The game was riotously fun, but also demonstrated how unexpected some of the responses were once the students discovered who they pertained to. The game both broke the ice that morning, as well as exemplified the reason behind one of the key objectives of the Career Forum – to show young people that the path to a particular career is not always obvious or linear.
The Career Forum participants were comprised of adults from a wide variety of professions. From an events promoter, herbalist, and ER nurse to an Air Force test pilot, each adult had much to share about their profession and the often-winding path they took to get there.
The students were inquisitive, enthusiastic, respectful and asked several insightful questions about the variety of careers presented before
them. Notably, based on the students’ engagement, Raven LeClair-Bonacich, a United States Air Force officer and F-35 test pilot, got the top honor for having one of the most interesting careers of the day!
This year’s Career Forum was organized by Beth Brennan, Christine Smith, Nicole Chiala, Yeyen Gunawan, Debbie Dutra and myself. Gratitude to Forrest Cambell for being the photographer for the day.
Event Participants:
- Debbie Dutra, owner of a team-building company
- Julie Rothman, herbalist
- Brandon Houston, firefighter
- Yeyen Gunawan, owner of a wellness company
- Michael Horne, event promoter
- Raven LeClaire Bonacich, Air Force officer and F-35 test pilot
- Amy-Beth Sirk, registered nurse
- Lorraine Kinnamon, dance company owner
- And myself, owner and creative director of a marketing agency
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Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton, director of marketing & communications,