By Julie Slama | [email protected]

Hillcrest High junior Devika Rajeev and several Hillcrest High Careers Club members will bring in job flyers and hang them on a bulletin board.

“We do it so other can know the different jobs that are available,” said the club president. “My friends have applied for jobs. We’ve had companies reach out to us and come here.”

Club members also have toured different companies or have taken part in events for multiple school districts such as engineering day and SheTech. The opportunity is extended to their peers as well.

“I'm just super excited that so many more people were able to do something with Careers Club and have different job shadows and different experiences,” she said.

Through the club, Rajeev cemented her ambition to be an anesthesiologist. Through the help of her club advisor, Cher Burbank, she was able to connect with an anesthesiologist over Zoom for 30 minutes.

“I was able to ask a bunch of questions and she kind of explained to me what the experience is like, and especially what the experience is like with COVID. It was really interesting to learn all about that,” she said, adding that other members have had some in-person job shadowing experiences.

Volunteering is part of the 30-member club. A group of students helped with Union Middle’s Reality Town and others helped with the school’s career day.

“There is no specific number of hours we need. We do what we can and at the end of the year, we get a certificate with all our volunteer hours accumulated on it,” Rajeev said. “It’s just about helping other people. I like helping them learn about careers that they may be interested in doing. When I first joined the club, I wasn't sure about what I wanted to do. I've seen that with so many others who have been kind of confused with what they want to do, but after seeing so many different opportunities, they have an idea. I just really liked seeing that. It makes me happy that they’ve been affected by the club.”

Career Club originated by student Morgan Sharp in 2015.

“She thought it would be a good idea and brought that to my attention that it'd be good idea to organize a club where students could attend these activities and also tell others about them,” said Burbank, Hillcrest’s work-based learning facilitator.

Originally there was 70 students involved, but that dipped to six during COVID-19 years, she said. So, this year was a rebuilding of participation and spreading what the club is about. Burbank said club members are creating a video of their experiences to share with others and also to put on the club website for students in the fall to become involved.

“They invite their friends and classmates to come to our monthly meetings and to go to events. They hand out flyers for field trips because they’re genuinely wanting more people to know about these opportunities, but it also is a service they’re providing,” Burbank said. “They’re learning through service-learning and are learning a lot through helping people. It’s a really valuable life lesson.”