Emma Sorrentino ’17 started the Career Exploration Program that brings career speakers to SC during lunch periods. While she began the program during the 2015-16 school year, attendance drastically increased at her law enforcement and military presentation on Tuesday, Oct. 25 with five guest speakers.

“The goal of the club is to bring career speakers to SC so that students can make more informed decisions about their futures and be better prepared for college,” Sorrentino said. “I wanted to give the underclassmen the opportunity that I did not have.”

Sorrentino brings in speakers about twice a year with the help of Associate Principal Therese Nelson. Last year, speakers included a physical therapist, a surgeon, an architect and an engineer.

“I started this activity because I was struggling with my own experiences, and I was really confused about what I wanted to do,” Sorrentino said. “I didn’t have time to job shadow because I have so many different interests and commitments.”

The presentations run during both lunch periods. During the A periods, the speakers sit on a panel and introduce themselves and their careers. During B periods, each speaker sets up a station with pictures, uniforms, and personal information that students can visit.

“I think students will benefit from hearing first hand what a day in the life of the specific career is like so it’ll help them prepare for their future classes and jobs,” Sorrentino said.

Before this, SC had no guest speakers—only NC did. Sorrentino was the first student to bring up this type of opportunity for SC students, Nelson said. The program took lots of planning by both Nelson and Sorrentino.

“Instead of running different speakers in different locations [this year] we switched to a panel discussion in one room,” Nelson said. “Emma stepped in as the project manager at south campus and ran the show. As a result, the session was well attended and the panel worked extremely well.

Nelson and Sorrentino select speakers through their personal connections or volunteers. After setting theme and date, students can receive the information from their counselors, teachers or fliers that are put up around the school.

“For students who know that they want that career, it can really make it or break it because if they see or hear something they like or don’t like, it can excite them or sway them,” Nelson said. “It’s another way for students to discover ‘their thing.'”