About 100 Canyons District students attended a luncheon to celebrate getting a taste of the professional world during the recent Job Shadow Day.

Thanks to dozens of willing professionals involved in careers ranging from human resources and architecture to retail and running a city, Friday, Feb. 21, 2014 started with students attending work and observing their professional mentors’ normal job routines. Then, the professionals and students networked further by attending a luncheon at Gardner Village hosted by Canyons’ Career and Technical Education Department. 

“Amazing things happen when we partner with those who are in the industry,” said Trish Thomas, District CTE Coordinator, as she watched the crowd mingle.

The keynote speaker of the luncheon was entrepreneur Jason Bangerter, who shared some of his latest projects with the crowd. Bangerter, who founded Struck, a world-renowned local branding firm, was encouraged by a teacher when he was in high school, Thomas said, and that early beginning helped him to achieve his dreams.

“Our biggest motivation is to help students make career connections now,” Thomas told the crowd.  Thomas is among the Canyons District staff that planned events and activities to celebrate National Career and Technical Education Month throughout February.

Many of the students did their best to look the part for the experience – so much so that it was hard to tell who was a student and who was a professional as the two groups chatted with each other over lunch.

Brighton High sophomore Valeria Heredia said she was delighted that her job shadow experience in a retail setting included trying on clothes to become more knowledgable about the product. “I want to do it again next year,” Heredia said.

Her mentor for the day, Tasha Hilton, who is the manager of a local Maurices clothing store, beamed as she listened to Heredia describe how fun her experience was. Hilton knows first hand how helpful participating in a job shadow event can be. “When I was in high school, I remember doing a job shadow,” Hilton said. “It made us more career-focused than other students, so to have that option in the community, I think, is really important.”