Sophomores got a glimpse into the future on Sunday, February 11 when Webb alumni came to campus to discuss their occupations. The 10th graders showed up looking professional in their school uniforms, ready to learn about career opportunities from various sessions: Entrepreneurship & Creative Marketing, Business & Real Estate, Energy Solutions & Sustainability, Law Careers, or Follow Your Passion. Each session was run by a group of two to three alumni who were all eager to share their stories.

Sophomore Career Night was organized by the Alumni Council, a group of 30 alumni who organize events to form connections between current Webbies and alumni. Laura Wensley, the Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations, says,“We talk to alumni all year long and if there’s somebody who we think has something interesting to share with the students, we will invite them to campus for Sophomore Career Night.”  

Many students were excited about the prospect of talking to Dr. Sandra Lee Rebish (‘88), a YouTube star known as Dr. Pimple Popper. Sara Hagiwara (‘20) was very enthusiastic, and said “It was my dream come true. I have always wanted to meet Dr. Pimple Popper, since I’m very inspired by her.”

Sophomores had varying opinions on Career Night and its effectiveness. Rebeca Castro (‘20) liked the event, saying “I enjoyed it more than I would have thought. I wish there had been more options related to math and sciences.”

The Energy Solutions & Sustainability session was exciting for Luke Raus (‘20). “It had an emphasis on careers trying to improve the world, not just for making money.” However, he hopes “that in future Career Nights, they consider trying to get people in more diverse careers like the guys who were there [for the Energy Solutions session].”

Langdon Dearborn (‘20) was overall disappointed in the Entrepreneurship session. “I thought that their [the alumni’s] story was neat and they did what they could to find lessons that they could give us out of their story. But I don’t think what they told us was applicable necessarily in our business ventures.”

However, most students agreed they learned something during the event. JD O’Donnell (‘20), in the Business & Real Estate session, said the main thing he took away is that you should “know what you want to do by college and just work as hard as you can in everything you do.” Shelby Mokricky (‘20) learned “it’s okay to not have a solid life plan picked out. Just do whatever is the best for you.”

Although you may already know what you want to do with your life, it’s okay to not have it all figured out by sophomore year, or even college. Attending Webb is a privilege and allows us to explore an enormous amount of opportunities; seizing those opportunities can help you determine how you want to live your life.