BY MALLORY GERSCHUTZ

On Thursday, September 22, the guidance department welcomed their first career speaker that specializes in healthcare.  Throughout the rest of the semester, there will be days during academic lab, a study hall built into every student’s schedule, where high school students can ask questions and explore more about a career they are interested in.

Jim Madasz, the chief operating officer from Medina Hospital, came in this past week to talk to students interested in healthcare.  His presentation focused on asking students directly what they were interested in and explaining more about that specific field.

Laurie Freund, a counselor at Wadsworth High School, set up the career speaking series with the help of the Medina County Economic Development Corporation.  The corporation finds real professionals from each field that Freund requested, based on a student survey sent out last year. 

“A lot of kids say ‘this is what I want to do’ when they actually never even walked a day on the job,” Freund said.  “You can search online, but it’s something about hearing a story and talking to professionals who can take you through the day a little more specifically.”

The guidance department has a goal to give kids an opportunity to see as many different speakers as they wanted.  Last year, the students were offered all on one day and students were placed with two different speakers based on their interests.  Only having two options restricted some kids from learning about any of the other career options.  The idea of providing several different days during academic lab allows students to explore as many different career paths as they want.

“I think it’s better this year because you can actually pick and choose and you don’t have a limit,” said Mary Dean, junior at Wadsworth High School.  “If you want to try something new, you don’t have to be focused on one thing.  You could do every one of them if you wanted to.”

All students wanting to attend simply show up in the PAC during the scheduled times and scan in for attendance.  They will be able to listen to professionals from that specific field talk about their own experiences and are welcome to ask any questions. 

In addition to the career speakers, there will be a soft skills presentation for grades 10-12 on October 27.  This will help students relate to people and communicate better.

“All businesses are saying they need students to improve their soft skills, so things outside of the technical skill and the education,” Freund said.  “Students should be able to relate to people and communicate better.”

Paul Taylor, Wadsworth’s Media Communications teacher, will speak tomorrow, September 29, during 5A in the PAC. Taylor spent 14 years working in the Media Department for the Cleveland Browns organization.