Students at the Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County had lots of questions Tuesday.
As part of Career and Technical Education Week, the school hosted a panel discussion with 11 area business owners and community leaders. The career exploration day also featured a college and career fair.
Juniors and seniors at the school asked the panelists questions ranging from the most rewarding aspects of their jobs to the number of jobs they applied to before being hired.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien spoke about building handicapped-accessible Boundless Playgrounds at sites throughout the county. At one, an 8-year-old girl approached him, thanking him for giving her little brother, who uses a wheelchair, a place to play.
Mr. O'Brien encouraged students to think about careers in public service.
"You have a real impact on people's lives," he said.
Mario Bevilacqua, owner of the What the Fork food truck and a CTC graduate, told the students the most rewarding part of his job was "making people happy with the food I put out."
Catherine Richmond-Cullen, Ed.D., curriculum specialist at the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit, spoke about persistence.
After graduating with a teaching degree, Dr. Richmond-Cullen took a job as a teacher's aide at Abington Heights and eventually became a teacher.
"You have to want to work hard," she said.
Students also heard about local job trends, such as demand for people in the health care industry, as well as the availability of jobs in natural gas drilling.
Anthony Anzalone, a junior at North Pocono who is in the building mechanics program at CTC, said he appreciated hearing about the experiences from the professionals, including learning about how to connect with others.
"I learned a lot about the adult world," he said.
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