Alumni of Gimli High School paid a visit last month to share with Grade 11 students stories about their diverse career journeys and provide some practical advice to help inspire them when their real-world journeys begin.
Cassidy Dankochik, who graduated in 2010 and is now a sports reporter, Katie Jantz, who graduated in 2011 and is now a pharmacist and researcher, and Marshal Marks, who graduated in 2014 and is now a registered personal trainer and business owner, told students about their personal struggles and successes during and after high school and how they eventually found their own path into careers they love.
Guidance counsellor Shalyn Noble developed and organized the school’s first-time Alumni Mentor Series to help students prepare for the world beyond high school and to show them that a career path doesn’t always go to plan.
“I wanted to help our students better prepare for life by bringing a connection to the real world from people who are more relatable than a teacher would be. It’s one thing to hear us teachers talking about hard work and perseverance and another to hear it from someone closer to their age,” said Noble. “I was looking at a way to engage and motivate the students and show them that it’s normal for a post-secondary journey to take a non-linear path sometimes.”
The guest speakers told students that they had originally thought they were on the right course in terms of choosing a career, but found themselves either leaving university, choosing another career path after eight years of post-secondary education or discovering their interest in a particular field by being active in the community, said Noble. That gave students a wider perspective on the journey they’ll be facing after graduation.
“They all had different journeys, and it was nice for the kids to hear that a career is not a linear progression, that as soon as you graduate from high school you do this and that for the rest of your life,” she said. “I think we’ll be looking at holding another mentorship event next year.”
Alumni spoke for about 20 minutes, telling students about who they were in high school, their experiences and what they learned, what they wished they had done differently, what their career journey looked like and enduring life lessons. They stressed the importance of work ethic and skills development in high school and having life skills such as resiliency and self-motivation to help buffer the challenges of carving out a career path after high school.
“You might think you have a plan in high school,” said Dankochik, “but don’t be afraid to change it up.”
Jantz told students that it’s normal for them to feel unsure about the future right now, but to pay attention to the way things make them feel and pursue their interests.
“Embrace your inner nerd whatever that may be,” said Jantz. “Different people will think you’re cool, and maybe the right kind of people.”
Marks advised the students that if they have a dream, chase it “even if people try to tear you down.”
Noble said the speakers’ stories really resonated with the students and they wanted to hear more from them after their presentations.
“I think we chose a pretty diverse group of mentors and a lot of the kids saw a piece of themselves in each of them and their future self. I think it really resonated with them,” said Noble. “There were groups of kids coming up to them afterwards and asking them questions.”
Some of the Grade 11 students shared their feedback to the mentorship event, saying how much they appreciated hearing about others’ life and career experiences.
Ava Michaluk said she felt reassured that a post-secondary educational path is not necessarily set in stone, and that a person can pivot and find something else.
“Planning for and choosing your path for the future can feel really daunting. I think there is so much value in hearing people talk about how they felt, just like we do now. It makes the ‘not knowing’ feel less scary,” said Michaluk. “Something I found most impactful was how each person emphasized that you can always change your mind, that where you start now is not where you have to end.”
Olivia Harapiak said Jantz’s presentation in which she spoke about changing career paths really resonated with her.
“A big takeaway for me was that there is always time to go back and find a degree/job that is more emotionally and mentally fulfilling,” said Harapiak. “This is going to be something that I am going to make a mental note of for post-secondary.”
And Traydon Courtland said the speakers really inspired him and other students, and he appreciated being able to speak one-on-one with Marks about his presentation.
“It was really great just to have a short conversation and see what it was like to have such a different high school experience from the one I have had,” said Courtland. “Most importantly, as a whole group of alumni, they made it a point to never settle as a person until it feels right, and I think that is very valuable.”
Express Photos Courtesy of Shalyn Noble
