In honor of National Career Development Month in November, the middle school welcomed guest speakers, had a theme-related dress down day, and lessons on career readiness. The purpose of these activities was to get students thinking about their college and career goals. 

Several parents kindly volunteered to speak to students about their careers. Students learned about hard work and perseverance from Mr. Jim Paek, a two-time Stanley Cup former professional ice hockey player, who is currently the director of the Korea Ice Hockey Association and head coach of the South Korea National Hockey Team. He spoke about the importance of these values and his coaching experience during the 2018 Winter Olympics. We were also privileged to learn about renewable energy and the important work that Mrs. Bolormaa Chimednamjil, a renewable energy analyst at the Global Green Growth Institute. Students were most interested in how her job has allowed her to travel and meet different people.

On College Shirt Day, students were encouraged to wear t-shirts and sweatshirts representing a college or university. Some wore gear representing where a parent or a sibling attended college and were proud to share when asked. Teachers also wore sweatshirts reflecting their alma maters.

We are very grateful to Mr. Paek and Mrs. Chimednamjil for their time and willingness to share their stories. We look forward to having more parent speakers share about their career journeys during our spring semester. If you are interested in speaking, please email Ms. Brechtel at melanie.brechtel@yisseoul.org.