By Greg Mellen

Administrators unveiled their new and improved Career Day at Ladera Ranch Middle School recently.

In addition to learning about the careers of a number of speakers who visited classrooms, eighth graders attended three assemblies throughout the day where they heard from Saddleback College and the Capistrano Unified School District’s College and Career Advantage (CCA) and Futureology programs about educational options and paths students can take before embarking on careers. For those not interested in four-year schools, there are a wide range of jobs and careers in countless professions.

“This is always a highlight of our year,” said Ladera Ranch Principal Cynthia Steinert. “To let the students know there are a lot of opportunities, not just getting degrees.”

High school students enrolled in CCA programs were also on hand to provide more of a kid’s-eye perspective. According to counselor Teri Graffero, one of the three counselors at LRMS who organized the event, the middle schoolers “told us the other day, ‘We like to listen to other students.’”

“This used to be a half-day event,” said Counselor Tom Bogiatzis, who has been helping organize the annual event for nine years. “It’s been changing and evolving.”

The highlight, however, remains the professionals who toured classrooms, most of whom have had children that attend the school. They represented a wide swath of futures, some demanding extensive education and training and others with fewer requirements.

Some of the jobs may not have sounded all that intriguing at first: executives, managers, and directors. Others, like, martial arts owner/instructor, airline pilot, FBI agent, sports agent, and fire captain may have seemed pretty cool.

And some jobs may not have sounded that great, but were with interesting companies, like the director at In-N-Out Burger and the executive at Coca-Cola. Then there was a marketer who had worked with Lady Gaga.

The professionals spent the early part of the day cycling through different eighth-grade classrooms as well as a couple earlier grade classrooms that had requested presentations.

Escorting the professionals from class to class were PAL, or Peer Assistance Leadership, students, most of whom are in the eighth grade.

The professionals talked about their jobs, the journeys that led to their careers, and what it takes to be successful. Many had stories to tell that belie the seemingly ho-hum nature of their job titles.

Ben Lau, a chief investment officer, was talking for the first time at the school and said he was “super-nervous.” But he was plenty excited about his topic: money.

“I want to get them interested in money,” he said.

Investing can be fascinating, he said, particularly if you can put funds to something you care or know about.

“If you can support what interests you, then investing can be fun,” he said.

Not all speakers focused on their jobs.

“I talk more about the power of friendship, care, and compassion,” said John Mark Jennings, the In-N-Out executive and a former mayor of Laguna Niguel. “It’s not about what you do, but how you do it.”

Todd Aimer, the owner of Evolve Martial Arts in Mission Viejo, has been coming for eight years and had three kids pass through Ladera Ranch. He said his goal isn’t to have kids follow his path.

“For me, that’s not why I’m here,” he said. “I’m here to help them decide what they want to do.”

Aimer said he hopes kids can “turn their passion into a career.”

Other professionals on hand dispelled stereotypes.

Rene Wagner is a pilot and first officer with cargo carrier UPS Airlines. Even when she is in uniform, Wagner said, “there’s a good chance at the airport I will be called a flight attendant. It’s important to break stereotypes.”

Wagner started flying when she was 15. She graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1999 and has flown professionally ever since.

This is her fourth year talking to the students. She was accompanied by her daughter, Allie Perrigoue, a student at Ladera Ranch Middle School.

Ashley Mericle was another rarity: a female FBI agent. While women make up only 12 percent of law enforcement nationally, the FBI is recruiting women into its ranks. About 24 percent of agents are women and the agency hopes to increase that to 30 percent by 2030.

Susan Burke, another counselor, said last year a female student wanted to be a Naval officer. She was introduced to a speaker from the Navy and she and her family were given the opportunity to visit a ship docked in San Diego.

Talking about the value of the career day, Burke said that students “see that many types of careers and options are open and that there are many paths.”

For eighth graders, that kind of knowledge can be freeing.

“They think they have to know now,” Burke said of the middle schoolers.

Scott Schultz, a fire captain with the Orange County Fire Authority who has addressed kids at Career Day for the past 12 years, said there is no hurry for students to pick a career.

“Go out and get an education,” he said. “You might as well get a degree and some life experience.”

Gaby Schultz, Scott’s daughter who joined her dad as a speaker, was there to tell the kids sometimes finding your career is a process.

“I’m here to show there’s an in-between,” said Gaby, who is back in school studying to be a physician’s assistant after graduating from college and working for a couple years.

Still in her early 20s, Gaby, who attended Ladera Ranch Middle School, hoped she was relatable to the students.

“I sat in that chair and struggled in algebra,” she said.

Aimer said what he hopes the students take out of career day is “no matter what they do, to be the best at what they do.”

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