Hundreds of students in the William S. Hart Union High School District enjoyed the opportunity to explore the world of business first hand, as job shadows to local and area businesses during the annual SCV School and Business Alliance’s Ground Hog Job Shadow Day on February 2.
Saugus High School’s Shannon Petera and Shannon Bloom, and West Ranch High School student Tal Moore joined me for a day-in-the-life of my work as managing editor for élite Magazine. This year marked my seventh year as a job shadow host/mentor for the SCV School to Business Alliance.
Our first stop was the Santa Clarita office of California State Assemblyman Cameron Smyth in Valencia. Smyth —who works out of his office in Sacrament Monday through Thursday, and then works in his district office on Fridays — took time out of his busy morning schedule to meet with me and my shadows, sharing with us a few highlights from his career. Our next stop was AM 1220 KHTS Hometown Radio Station, where we went on-air with KHTS’ morning show host, John Summers. Following our on-air interviews, we stopped by the offices of élite Magazine and The Magazine of Santa Clarita where the students got a glimpse of what goes into producing a magazine. Our fourth stop was the SCV office of Senator George Runner where we met up with Senator Runner’s field rep, Jackie Bick and her job shadows.
Then it was off to the luncheon at the SCV Sport’s Complex, where City Manager Ken Pulskamp was the keynote speaker. He offered words of wisdom to students, teachers, and business people alike.
“Take the initiative to find a mentor,” Pulskamp said. “When you do this, you are making an investment in yourself.”
For more information about the job-shadowing program, call the SCV School and Business Alliance at 661-259-0033 ext. 776