Career Week: Day 2

This week is the CPS Spring Break and here at Cabrini Connections we are definitely taking advantage of the break. No, we are not taking the week off, but we are using this time to get our students out into the wonderful world of our volunteers. Several of our volunteers have agreed to allow groups of students and staff to visit the college, university, and/or place of business throughout this week so that our students can get a up close and personal look into the lives and careers of those who share their time, knowledge, and experiences on a weekly basis....our mentors.

Yesterday, Bradley Troast (Program Assistant) kicked off the 2010 Career Week by leading a group of students to two very unique opportunities hosted by veteran volunteers Anne Davies and Brea Adams. Read the complete story of Career Week: Day 1 Here.

There were a completely different group of students who joined me on the trip this afternoon. Cabrini Connections' students Ana Tate, Israel Dosie, Marquise Cook, and Sean Mayfield road with me to the home (also personal office) of veteran volunteer Allen "AJ" Tyson. Mr. Tyson is a self employed Commission's Agent who runs the majority of his business, Emsig, out of his beautiful home on Chicago's West Side.

AJ, and his best friends and business partners Jack (his dog) and Mouse (his cat) greeted us and immediately provided us with a great overview of his educational background, his career history, and how he runs his business from home. AJ runs a company produces and distributes mass amounts of buttons to various companies and buyers all over the world!

The students asked a variety of questions about Mr. Tyson's business and his career, and he answered every question with pleasure. Mr. Tyson then gave us a tour of his home and shared some of his hobbies with the group. Mr. Tyson loves to sail and garden, and he has a fantastic garden in the back of his home.

Following a few more questions and the completion of the tour, we all walked to a pretty nice neighborhood restaurant for lunch and the food was GREAT!!! Allen Tyson left these words with the group before we concluded our trip, "Always be present and punctual and network as much as you can." These are tips that the entire group can and should be using every day of their lives, no matter if it is for school, work, or just getting through the day!

We concluded the trip by returning to the center and I provided the group with a BIG SURPRISE; that's right you guessed it...a POP QUIZ!!! I wanted to not only see how well the students were paying attention, but I also wanted be sure the students found a way to retain what they had learned to use in the future. They completed a 12 question quiz and I provided the student who had the highest score with a ice cream from Loves.

Overall this was not only a great trip but a great opportunity for the group to learn about what it took for AJ to get to where he is in life today. Hopefully the students will take something away from this experience that can and will help them in the near and distant future, so they too will have success in their future career!