The Ninth Annual Junior Prep Day event took place this past Thursday at Hoboken High School. Junior Prep Day provides HHS juniors with the opportunity to talk to professionals from the Hoboken community about different career paths. Volunteers from the community, including myself, were recruited by the founder of Junior Prep Day, and Hoboken School Board Trustee, Theresa Minutillo. This year, 20 professionals answered her invitation to make a meaningful contribution to the future of the 11th grade students.

In preparation for Junior Prep Day, the HHS Guidance Department coordinated with Wood Tobe-Coburn School representatives to help students develop their resumes. The HHS Student Center staff handled Junior Prep Day logistics, ensuring that every student checked in at each of three stations: Resume critique, Appearance review, and Career Information.  As they visited each station, students improved their resumes, were coached on how to make a good first impression, and obtained an insider's perspective from professionals in television production, law, finance, education, technology, engineering, sports, fashion, art, and real estate. Student feedback obtained by HHS Youth Services Director Cecilia D'Elia indicated that one third of the students indicated they wouldn't change a thing about the event, and another third said they wanted more of everything that was offered.

I highly recommend participating in Junior Prep Day. It's an opportunity to acquaint yourself not only with Hoboken High School, which keeps getting better every year, but also with all the wonderful students and staff there. If you would like to be notified about future Junior Prep Day events, please contact  Cecilia D'Elia at cdelia@hoboken.k12.nj.us