NHS Students Experience Job Shadow Program

By Tanjua Damon

Approximately 25 Newtown High School students spent a day at Cendant Mobility in Danbury to see the “working world” in action and to see what area businesses do that might spark a career interest.

Jane McEvoy of the Newtown High School Career Center hoped that the students would be able to be exposed to a variety of jobs that are available in business and to help the participants understand that what they are learning in high school can be helpful to them in the future.

The students were encouraged to listen, observe, and ask questions of the employees at Cendant, which is an international company that helps to relocate businesses and employees.

The students heard presentations by Director Of Client Services Sue Gardner who also helped organize the trip, Director Of Moving Services James Suller, and Director Of Human Resources Robin Whittingham. The students were also individually paired up with Cendant employees.

Sophomore Lisa Grossman has not quite decided what her future holds, but she saw the job shadow program as an opportunity to assess what is out there and what kinds of backgrounds people have in the business community. She was paired up with Karin Wiseman.

“It seemed like a good idea to find other ways to get a job. I thought it was really nice. We got a warm welcome,” Lisa said. “It was pretty interesting. It’s actually a job I would consider doing.

“They are like one whole big family,” she added. “This allowed us to see all our options. You want to get to know a job before you start. This allows you to do some of that research.”

French teacher Melissa Tobey LaBelle wanted her students to see that foreign language can be a great practical job skill when seeking employment.

“I wanted to do something that would give students a real world study,” she said. “I wanted students to have the opportunity to see that speaking a foreign language is part of real world skills. I think some of them were floored that an accountant at Cendant knew three languages. There are a variety of contexts in which languages are required.”

Business teacher Melissa Robillard felt the job shadow day allowed students to see what it is like to have a professional business career.

“It was great to have students experience business in the real world,” Ms Robillard said.

Ms McEvoy was pleased with the opportunity Cendant gave to Newtown High School students.

“The students, teachers, and I are so grateful to Cendant Mobility for providing us with such an amazing Job Shadow Day. It really exceeded my expectations –– and they were already high –– because I know from past experience what an impressive and community-minded organization Cendant is,” Ms McEvoy said. “Sue Gardner, director of client services, knew exactly what I wanted before I even asked. She lost no time in putting together a program that would expose our students to the wide variety of jobs available in business and to allow them to see how what they are learning in high school can be helpful to their future. This was accomplished through Cendant Mobility’s greatest asset, its people. We were all caught up in the enthusiasm, energy, and spirit of the employees who gave so generously of their time and knowledge. We couldn’t have asked for a better glimpse of the ‘working world.’”