NewsUpper SchoolStudent Life
Career Day Inspires Students
Mar 1, 1999 8:00 AM
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Every child has heard this query at one time or another.
Upper School students explored some of the many possible answers to this question during Darlington's annual career day, Tuesday, Jan. 26. Keynote speaker Jere A. Drummond '57 and 29 professionals representing a potpourri of careers, from law to hotel/restaurant management to computer technology, counseled the students on what to expect as they enter college and search for a career.
Drummond, president and CEO of Bell South Communi-cations Group, kicked off the event in an address to the Upper School in the chapel. Drummond emphasized the growing importance of communications in the workplace.
"Being able to manage information will render you successful in your career. It is necessary that you keep up with technology in order to keep up with information," he advised. Drummond accentuated four pillars that lead to success: having high expectations for oneself, working hard, expanding one's horizons, and having a vision and dream.
After Drummond's motivational talk, students met with professionals in small groups. Prior to career day, students selected four careers and two alternates in which they were most interested. Alumni Director Brian Boone, who organized the event, assigned students to the careers they requested, as much as demand and space would accommodate. Of the more than 29 professionals who gave of their time and wisdom, 19 were Darlington graduates.
The advice the students heard as they listened and talked with the experts came down to this, time after time: In order to truly be successful in a career, individuals must enjoy their work. Craig Jones, Coosa Country Club tennis pro, captured it well when he confessed, "I'm lucky to be doing something I love for a living."
Not all advice focused on how to be successful in a profession but also extended to how to be successful in life. Jim Manis '75, president of Wheeler's Building Center in Rome, counseled students to "learn to listen, take notes, marry for love, do things you enjoy, spend time with your kids, and learn to meditate."
Halfway through the day, seniors were invited to join the speakers during a break. Jenny Wilde, of Westholf, Texas, commented on her experience, "I think that being able to meet professionals who have been in my very same situation, and being able to talk to them about my ambitions and asking them questions about theirs is a great opportunity."
Some students gained more than knowledge about specific careers. Some were inspired. "I have found my calling," exclaimed senior Chris Motley of Chicago, after meeting with Ruth Moyers Hallman '82, a French teacher who represented the field of education.
Upper School students explored some of the many possible answers to this question during Darlington's annual career day, Tuesday, Jan. 26. Keynote speaker Jere A. Drummond '57 and 29 professionals representing a potpourri of careers, from law to hotel/restaurant management to computer technology, counseled the students on what to expect as they enter college and search for a career.
Drummond, president and CEO of Bell South Communi-cations Group, kicked off the event in an address to the Upper School in the chapel. Drummond emphasized the growing importance of communications in the workplace.
"Being able to manage information will render you successful in your career. It is necessary that you keep up with technology in order to keep up with information," he advised. Drummond accentuated four pillars that lead to success: having high expectations for oneself, working hard, expanding one's horizons, and having a vision and dream.
After Drummond's motivational talk, students met with professionals in small groups. Prior to career day, students selected four careers and two alternates in which they were most interested. Alumni Director Brian Boone, who organized the event, assigned students to the careers they requested, as much as demand and space would accommodate. Of the more than 29 professionals who gave of their time and wisdom, 19 were Darlington graduates.
The advice the students heard as they listened and talked with the experts came down to this, time after time: In order to truly be successful in a career, individuals must enjoy their work. Craig Jones, Coosa Country Club tennis pro, captured it well when he confessed, "I'm lucky to be doing something I love for a living."
Not all advice focused on how to be successful in a profession but also extended to how to be successful in life. Jim Manis '75, president of Wheeler's Building Center in Rome, counseled students to "learn to listen, take notes, marry for love, do things you enjoy, spend time with your kids, and learn to meditate."
Halfway through the day, seniors were invited to join the speakers during a break. Jenny Wilde, of Westholf, Texas, commented on her experience, "I think that being able to meet professionals who have been in my very same situation, and being able to talk to them about my ambitions and asking them questions about theirs is a great opportunity."
Some students gained more than knowledge about specific careers. Some were inspired. "I have found my calling," exclaimed senior Chris Motley of Chicago, after meeting with Ruth Moyers Hallman '82, a French teacher who represented the field of education.
