Career Exploration: A Real Work Place

Author's Note: This is my write up in response to our Career Exploration project. I wanted to reflect on the four field trips we went on throughout the past year in which we job shadowed different careers. Instead of talking about how each job operates, I decided to reflect on the one main theme that I saw in every work place we visited.

Every day in Academy 21 we are expected to manage our time, we are expected to meet our deadlines, and we are expected to be independent. These are not requirements; they are just skills that come naturally to us. Though it wasn't always like that. When I was first in Academy 21 these prerequisites did not come as easily to me. In the beginning of the year I often struggled with trying to successfully finish my projects on time and use my time appropriately, but as the year went on these aspects of Academy 21 began to come naturally. Just as we developed advanced knowledge in the core subjects, we acquired an advanced understanding of college and career readiness. Though it was a long process, we developed skills in Academy 21 that will not only benefit us for the rest of our years in school, but for the rest of our years working in a career.

At the beginning of this year, Abbi, Madeline, Mai, and I came up with the idea of doing a project on Career Exploration. We decided that we would each pick a different career that we were interested in possibly pursuing and organize a field trip to interview someone working in that career. Based on our knowledge of what we enjoy doing and what areas we excel in, each of us devised our own individual field trips to go job shadowing.

Lianne Streng, Chemical Engineer (right)

Abbi was the first to organize a trip; since her field of interest was nursing we went to a nearby hospital and interviewed a nurse. About a month later, we went on Madeline's field trip to visit a lawyer who worked in downtown Milwaukee. We got to sit in on a court case and see what Mr. Wagner's usual day looked like as a litigator lawyer. After these two trips, we began to hit some bumps in the road with this project because Mai and I were having a hard time finding contacts. Mai was originally planning on job shadowing an astronomer, but since astronomy isn't a common field in Wisconsin we decided that she should pursue a different career. Mr. Johnson suggested a biomedical engineer because that career incorporated two of Mai’s main strengths – creativity and math. Together they set up a trip to UW Madison to meet with the head of biomedical engineering, Wally Block.

April Kiger, Fashion Designer (right)

As for me, I was running into the same problem as Mai: there were no famous fashion designers nearby. I tried contacting many different places, but none of them followed through on my emails and phone calls. With help from some students in Academy 21, I eventually got in contact with a fashion designer for Kohl's, April Kiger. We got to visit her and take a tour of her work place as she showed us step by step the designing process. In addition to being interested in the designing industry, I wanted to know more about other fields of engineering because that seemed like a more reasonable job for me. Following our meeting with the fashion designer, I organized a trip to Bostik to see what a chemical engineer does. Though it took us a whole year to complete this project, it was a great opportunity for us to explore potential careers and to problem solve when faced with setting up field trips outside of school.

At each of the five different jobs, there was one thing in common that we noticed. Though each career was very different, it was unmistakable how similar all the work places where to Academy 21. As for the visual aspect, the set up of the Academy 21 room was almost identical to what we saw in Madison and at Kohl's. Some people worked independently at the cubicles, while others collaborated together in small meeting rooms. The layout provided areas for individual work as well as group work, just as the set up in Academy 21 does for us.

When we talked to the lawyer he explained to us how much time he spent on just pure research; almost all of his day was spent either writing or researching. He explained to us how his court cases were just projects that he needed to gather information about and display. The same was true for the biomedical engineer, the fashion designer, and the nurse. Whether it was creating the new spring fashion trends or designing a mechanical eye, each career's work depended upon the projects they we currently doing.

Just like in Academy 21, they had deadlines and had to manage their time accordingly. In each job they were given time they needed certain tasks done and from there it was their responsibility to complete them. When we were sitting in on the biomedical engineering class in Madison, the professor had to constantly remind the students how to appropriately manage their time. It seemed almost strange to us that the professor had to keep repeating that to the college students.

In addition to working independently, a large part of each job was collaborating and communicating with one another -- verbally and through technology. The fashion designer talked about how she worked with mainly two other people to come up with her designs, but within the process she had to display her ideas to a larger group and get there approval, along with communicating long distance where the clothes were manufactured.

After job shadowing a nurse, a lawyer, a biomedical engineer, a fashion designer, and a chemical engineer, we acquired a better understanding of how similar Academy 21 is to a work place. Sometimes it's hard for people to grasp how different Academy 21 is from conventional classes. We often get caught up in thinking that switching classes and assigning homework is normal, when really outside of this building, working on projects, managing time, and collaborating with others are common in every career. Through this project, we have discovered what Academy 21 is really about: preparing us for life beyond school, preparing us for life in a career.

American Diabetes Association Carnival!

Author's Note: On May 4th, Academy 21 hosted the second annual Carnival for the American Diabetes Association. This a reflective piece on what I learned as part of the Carnival. Overall, the Carnival raised a lot of money for the ADA, and I personally had a really great time working at it.

As I looked around at the newly transformed gym, an image came back to me of how the Carnival looked last year. I saw how the Teacher Soak game, which consisted of some wet sponges to throw at teachers, had changed to a full dunk tank. I saw how the number of sponsors and donors had doubled. I saw how the few games we had made out of paper and homemade materials now looked far more professional and included two inflatable games. Besides the overall look of the Carnival, I saw something else I hadn't completely noticed last year. It was the look of pure joy on the kids faces as they raced back and forth on the Bungee Run game that intrigued me to notice how happy everyone was. From the students running the games to the kids running around, everyone seemed to be having a good time. Though it was mainly about supporting the American Diabetes Association, it was also about giving kids the opportunity to have fun and enjoy themselves.

The months leading up to the Carnival were definitely less stressful than last year. Since I was head of the Games Group for the Carnival, we were still faced with some minor issues. We were constantly trying to figure out how to get the most money from each game. It was hard to make the games have a professional feel to them without buying the supplies. Since the Games Group didn't have a budget, we had to either make all of the materials or bring them from home. For one group, no one had darts at home for their game. Since, we didn't want to make anyone go out and buy their materials, we suggested to them to somehow create their own darts. A couple other groups also took this idea and they created their own supplies. Of course there is always the worry that they might not work, but for the most part they games turned out better than our expectations.

When I went outside to see the dunk tank, I noticed that, though the teachers were probably extremely uncomfortable, they put on a smile and dealt with it. They just patiently sat there, lightly teasing the people who were trying to dunk them. They created a playful environment that attracted more and more people. They chose to just have fun because they knew that it was all for the ADA, and thankfully none of them got hypothermia. I know it was a sacrifice for all of them to come and just their presences contributed to total outcome of the Carnival.

With Kati, Ashton, Mai, and all of Academy 21's help the second annual Carnival had a great turn out and an even better profit. Ultimately, it didn't matter how much money we raised though. It was the fact that we were able to spread awareness for the ADA through giving kids a chance to have fun. Though we never may know what impact we had on the ADA, if our money helps one person with diabetes, the work was all worth it.

The Art of Conservation

Author's Note: As a part of the Field Museum field trip, I did this follow up Vuvox on how the Plants of the World exhibit was created and the history of how the the Field Museum discovered how to replicate plants. I was trying to incorporate technology while learning a little bit about the Field Museum's history.

Vote for Madeline Arzbecker

Author's Note: This is my Student Senate Treasure/Secretary Application. I decided to post this to my blog so more people could read what I had to offer and why I want this position.  

Leadership is something that we all need, whether we know it or not. Though we cherish our independence, we still need someone to look up to and help us in the right direction. Whether it is the President of the United States or our own principle, we are constantly surrounded by leaders that benefit our everyday lives. I want to help PHS by becoming a leader myself though being the Treasure/Secretary of Student Senate.

Every since I came to the Pewaukee School District in fifth grade, I have been part of Student Council. In Horizon I was elected as class representative in both fifth and sixth grade. During those years Student Council helped organize fundraisers that benefited both the community and Horizon Elementary. It also helped me to personally develop better speaking skills because I had to deliver information from the meetings to my class.

In seventh grade, I joined the Asa Clark Student Council and helped the school through running concessions, working dances, and organizing fundraisers. This past year I was elected Treasurer of the Asa Clark Student Council and I’ve had to keep track of the council’s money and each members points. In addition to that I’ve had to speak in all the assemblies as part of the Student Council officers. To help prepare me for my role as Treasure, I attended the WASC Leadership Camp over the summer. It was a week long camp that helped Student Council members like me develop better leadership skills. There I equipped with the knowledge of how to do my best as Treasurer. In addition to that, I am part of the leadership team at my church.

I think I would benefit the Student Senate as Secretary/Treasurer because I already have the experience of being Treasurer. Furthermore, I’m organized and have good math skills for keeping track of money. I would love the opportunity to help make PHS an overall better environment for its students and staff.

I believe that everyone needs leaders to guide them in the right direction and to help them in difficult times. Instead of just waiting for someone to step up, I want to be the one who has the courage to take on this job. I believe that if I am a part of Student Senate I could help fulfill the need for leadership in our community. I don’t want to just be a follower; I want to be a leader. I believe that Student Senate will help me on my journey as a leader.

“Leadership is action, not position” This quote should be the standard for all councils because it says that even if you have a position as a leader, you are not simply leader; you need to be a servant leader. This means that you are not just the one the initiating ideas, you need to be the one who goes out into the community and meets its needs. You can only be a servant leader by forgetting about yourself and serving others. A way I could take “action” as part of Student Senate is by organizing an event where students from PHS participate in acts of random kindness (ARK). This would be meet the community’s needs and raise money at the same time. The students doing the ARKs would have to ask their families and friends to pledge a certain amount of money per ARK.  For one week, every day after school, the students would be able to go into the community in groups and do things such as bag groceries, make lunches for the homeless shelter, rake or mow elderly citizen’s lawns, and help serve at nursing homes. Each act would be recorded and send out to the sponsors. The money raised could either sponsor the Student Senate directly or an organization of the Student Senates choice. By raising awareness of the needs in our community and directly helping them, this event would let not just the Student Senate take action and be servant leaders, but it would let the students of PHS be servant leaders, too.

I don’t want to just have the title as Secretary/Treasurer; I want be a leader who takes action in PHS. Through being a part of Student Senate, I can get the opportunities to fulfill this. Thank you for considering me as your ninth grade Secretary/Treasurer, and remember that leadership is more than just a position.

An Empty Glass

Author's Note: This is a stream of conscious exercise that we did in my support group. We started with one word and went around our group saying words that we had to add to our pieces. Since I really didn't know what words to expect, it was difficult to fit them all in my piece and due to editing it might have lost some. At first, it was rather hard for me because we were going at such a fast pace and I didn't have much time to get my thoughts together. After a few days, I decided to look at it again and I realized that after a lot of editing it was actually decent to publish.

A soft silk,

Flowing down to the ground,

Rare gems,

Ordained on it,

Mighty foot prints,

A spacious room,

Crowded with guests,

Beautiful décor,

An empty thrown,

Covering in silky linens,

Bordered with pure gold,

A place where a little girl is swiftly turned into a mighty ruler. Many nervous girls have step foot inside this place, prepared to be a queen, but unaware of what secrets lie behind the thrown. After many years of waiting, of wanting this prized item -- the crown of glory -- in one moment it is all hers.

Everyone, everything, everywhere,

A beautiful nation to rule,

A great task at hand,

She steps up to the stage making a show of her emotions as the crown is placed on her head. She sees the faces of her people -- the ones she needs to please. As if wildly roaming in an unknown jungle she takes her spot as queen. She accepts the praise and the flowers with open hands. With open hands she takes on the country -- her country. She peacefully sits in her new thrown appearing as if she has always been queen. Only inside head remains the doubts of having no idea how to control such a crooked nation. A nation that is traveling down a steep, never ending hill, is now all hers. With steady hands she takes on the tasks not knowing what life is to bring. Overwhelmed with what she never knew, her innocent skin is lost as she discovers the crimes of her nation. Now, she is known across the nation. As far as she can see, everyone recognizes her face even though she doesn't recognize them.

To dive out of this world, to leave her boundaries would be unthinkable. She must remain here content and looking on top of things when only she knows the secrets that lie inside her head. She picks up the empty glass of her country that was once full with rulers of wisdom and age. Now young and tender, she is expected to rule a country. Without any guidance or restrictions, she is determined to refill the glass.

Field Museum Core Competencies

Author's Note: This is a SlideShare I created in response to the Field Museum field trip that Madeline and I organized on March 9th. I wanted to creatively display how I incorporated all the Core Competencies in this project. On each slide I included pictures to show what I did in each Core Competencies.

Field Museum Core Competencies

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David's Heartbeat Field Trip

Author's Note: This is a response to the field trip to David's Heartbeat that I went to last week Friday. Riah VandeZande and Sydney Kaine ran it. They did a fantastic job organizing the field trip and I hope they realize how much I appreciated it.

My body ached from laughing as I settled down for lunch. A smile was permanently engraved on our faces. I stuffed my face as we continued to giggle, while recalling the day's events. Though nothing that had happened in the past few hours was rather humorous, we still couldn't control our laughter. The field trip had went as perfectly as it had been planned. Much thanks to Riah and Sydney, I had fun learning experience away from school.

When we left school and boarded the school bus, I wasn't really sure what to except. I had heard plenty about the field trip and I knew Sydney was an amazing dancer, but I just couldn't grasp exactly where it would go. We entered the church were greeted by some very friendly people. I could tell a lot of hard work had gone into the production and I began to get excited. I anxiously sat in the church just waiting for the show to begin. When the lights dimmed and I knew it was time. Sydney gracefully glided across the stage, and every time she went back stage, I eagerly awaited her to come back on. I really enjoyed watching Sydney dance and I tried to focus on her the whole time.

When the performance was over, I gave Sydney a hug, hoping to show how much I appreciated her organizing this field trip. The whole ride to lunch, my friends and I talked and laughed, and laughed even more. We were so relaxed, we felt like we could just have fun. The best part was that it was still a school day and we were still learning, just in a different environment.