First Student Success Symposium connects students with local employers
The RiverCenter was buzzing with activity on Tuesday, April 23 when 160+ local high school students and nearly 30 Quad Cities employers connected at the first Success Symposium, hosted by the Quad Cities Chamber and funded by the Moline Regional Community Foundation. This dynamic event aimed to inspire and guide high school students on the path to their future careers.
The event was kicked off by speakers Paul Plagenz of the Moline Community Foundation, Rene Gellerman of United Way Quad Cities and keynote speaker, Andre Norman. Known as the "Ambassador of Hope," Norman told his personal story of the power of resilience and education. He has inspired countless young people over the years with his message of overcoming adversity and accessing opportunity. Norman's presentation was sponsored by United way.
The Symposium included a hands-on career fair helping to bridge the gap between industry leaders and students eager to explore diverse career opportunities through interactives and live demonstrations. From a VR welding simulator provided by John Deere to stenography demonstrations by Black Hawk College, a bus driving simulation from MetroLINK and hands-on activity from MidAmerican Energy, students lined up to try their hand at the various activities and discuss future job opportunities with local employers.
Kiera Caldwell, a senior at Davenport North High School was excited to see the ambulance from Genesis Health System at the event because she's looking into becoming an EMT after she graduates, but added, "I'm looking to explore different careers and kind of look at what my options are, and all the different benefits of these different businesses."
In addition to exploring and experimenting with live interactives, the event also provided breakout workshops on such topics as personal finance, building a personal brand and creating a promotional "elevator pitch".
According to James Porter, Vice President of Talent and Inclusion at the Quad Cities Chamber, and one of the organizers of the event, "Our goal for today was basically to get area high school students together and get some of our regional employers together and immerse these kids in a full day of hands-on learning activities. We have some breakout workshops on different subjects that are very important as these young people explore their opportunities and begin forming an idea of what their future careers might be."
As students roamed the RiverCenter, the Arc
onic booth was a great spot for a selfie with hard hat props. "There are so many careers in the manufacturing field that a lot of kids don't know about, and even I didn't know about until I started getting into the field," said Marguerite Tomlin who was at the Symposium representing Arconic. "We just want to get out here and tell kids what many opportunities there are."
James Hotchkiss of John Deere helped students gear up with a welding mask and VR headset to experience their welding simulator. He remarked, "I think it's important for John Deere and all the companies here today to be representing what they do, their different disciplines or fields they work in, showing these students that whether you go to college or you don't go to college, there are careers out there for them."
