Dozens of Burlington Central School alumni visited their former place of learning last week to take part in Careers Day, which was part of the school's 100th anniversary celebration that took place over four days (June 1-4).
Speakers from all kinds of professional backgrounds spoke to students throughout the day, explaining their careers, how they got to where they are and important life lessons they hope could help students as they begin mapping out their professional journey.
Deane Collinson, a senior retail executive, spoke to students about leadership and how he was part of a group that rebranded the No Frills grocery store chain a couple of decades ago.
“I hope they can try to understand the importance of leadership,” he says. “They can be good leaders in a study group, they can be good leaders in a part-time job, they can be good leaders in their household. Leadership is all about personal relationships.”
Collinson recalls his former Grade 12 teacher ‘Mr. Wheely’, who was instrumental in his career. He says his teacher created an assignment for students to improve the performance of a retail store.
“I would love to have thanked Mr. Wheely for giving me that inspiration because later in life a retail opportunity came along and I immediately thought back to my high school Marketing class - the seed was planted,” he says. “Teachers have a huge influence on the future of kids, whether it is five years or 10 years down the road.”
Grade 11 student Madison Filax-Orr sat in a presentation involving a filmmaker focused on dedicating films to people doing unique things to help the environment. She learned of a professional race car driver who uses environmental groups as sponsors in a sport that relies heavily on fossil fuels.
“I learned how to put yourself out there to help the environment,” she says. “If you have children, those children might have children and those generations will have to live on the land we have now. We need to make sure this is something you want future generations to live in.”
Hugh Williams, who was leading a math workshop, has some sage advice for students:
“Maintain your sense of curiosity and wonder - it will keep you going,” he says. “Communication skills - do not forget them. Learn how to write and learn how to read people. This might not be something you’d expect to hear from a mathematician, but it’s important.”
