Over 50 StreetSquash High Schoolers Speak with Local Professionals to Gain Career Insights and Advice

StreetSquash Young Leadership Committee member Andrew (second from right) answers questions about his experience in investment banking from ninth-graders Ixayana, Jonathan, and Mary.

 

On Tuesday, November 20th, the SL Green StreetSquash Center opened its doors for one of the most exciting events of the fall: The Seventh Annual Career Night. 21 local professionals joined over 50 high school students for an evening of rewarding conversation and networking. Some of the guests were StreetSquash alumni, some were friends of staff members, and some were entering the building for the first time.

Some careers represented by our guests included teaching, real estate, investment banking, and even coordinating educational projects for the Museum of the City of New York. Divine, an alumnus in the Class of 2014 and an Account Executive at Yelp, recalled how StreetSquash helped him manage his time. “I came a long way from when I was in your shoes at StreetSquash, to learning a lot in college about managing the balance of squash with schoolwork,” Divine cautioned to the high schoolers. “I know all of it helps me be successful at my job today.” After discussions about time-management and other useful “real world” advice, many of our young StreetSquashers took home useful tips from Divine and other guests. By the end of the evening, every student had participated in lively conversations, with our visitors as well as one another, about the possibilities that the future might hold.

“You hear all of the conversations happening at the different stations, and you see students light up when they get to learn more about a profession that they are interested in, whether they knew that going into the event or found something new,” Senior Director of College Success Assumpta described. “I particularly love it when our alumni come back and talk about their jobs, because it represents the cycle of our work: our alumni sharing their experiences with their community to encourage future students’ success.”