By Ashley Gauba, grade 10

CareerConnect held its annual mentorship banquet in mid-March. The goal of the mentorship program is to connect students to industry professionals who can help them gain valuable insight into industries of interest to them. The program lasts from March to the beginning of fall. During that time students establish a consistent dialogue with their mentors and meet with them about three times, as well as have a workplace visit if possible. The mentorship banquet gave students the chance to meet with their mentors, discuss their interests, and complete their “cup activity,” in which students write what they want to achieve or learn from their mentor on a coffee cup and give it to the mentor to keep.

“The mentorship banquet was such a great experience. I learned so much from my mentor, and I’m excited to talk to her again to learn more about her work,” said Andrea Thia, grade 9.

Sophomore Rohan Varma noted, “This experience was really nice for me, as I was able to gain insight from an industry professional who has dabbled in several industries and expressed to me the factors that helped guide her to where she is today.”

Overall, the banquet was a great success! Students had an exciting time at the event and are looking forward to learning more and meeting their mentors again!