job shadow program enhances students’ career options

This winter, several Oakton students have had the opportunity to participate in the Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce’s job shadow program, which offers high-schoolers a chance to learn more about career options as they plan for life beyond high school and college.

Job shadow programs allow students to immerse themselves in the daily life of a particular career, such as a law, hospitality or engineering. Each student spends a day with a mentor who provides guidance, answers questions and gives a general impression of the responsibilities and duties of that specific career.
“It’s a great opportunity for students to experience [a] career field and see if that’s something they would really be interested in,” said Diane Kirk, the Career Center specialist at Oakton. “After spending a day seeing what it’s really like, then maybe that will be the deciding factor.”

Overall, students’ reactions to the program have been positive. At the end of January, junior Cameron Lee shadowed Great Falls architect Francisca Alonso, co-founder of AV Architects + Builders. Lee feels that this experience has been extremely valuable to his education and career plans; it has changed his perceptions of what an architect does and given him a foundation for planning his future.

“I’ve learned so much that I wouldn’t have learned [otherwise]. I met with the designers and the people who actually build and construct the house. Now, I can see the house go from plans to being constructed,” said Lee.
During his job shadow, Lee’s mentor took him to a construction site to see all stages of the design process, and she showed him the fundamentals of running a business. Alonso also gave Lee a heads-up on what to study in college and how to build a resume.

Junior Wilson He is also enthusiastic about the program. He shadowed lawyer Anthony Anikeeff, an attorney with the Williams Mullen law firm. Anikeeffe specializes in government contracts, but does other work including defending businesses accused of fraud. He’s job shadow greatly exceeded his expectations, and it helped guide his future plans.
“Mr. Anikeeff took me to a courtroom, where I listened to an actual civil case, and during the whole case, he would lean over and give me commentary on how the case was going. I see myself as having a high probability of going into law,” said He.

He is interested in international law, especially human rights, as well as criminal justice. Although he does not see himself going into the exact same field as his mentor, the shadow experience was still helpful.
“I not only learned about what he did, but also the path to becoming a lawyer. I was able to see the inner workings of a law firm and understand how much work they do. I greatly enjoyed the program and would recommend it to anyone,” He said.