MSSD students chart future careers

MSSD students chart future careers

By Susan Flanigan

On Career Day October 8, Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) students had an opportunity to mingle and ask questions of 19 deaf and hard of hearing professionals and business people.

The participants came from a variety of businesses in the area. Some work at Gallaudet and many attended Gallaudet as undergraduates. Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center (Clerc Center) sponsors Career Day as part of its transition goal to prepare students for the world of work.

Clerc Center happenings photo
Sally Lee-Kerns, a staff assistant in the U.S. Senate, talks with a student while sophomore student Porsche Green explores career information on the "Career Explorer."

The front lobby of MSSD was crowded with tabletop displays. As role models of different career options, participants brought samples of the tools and products of their professions and trades. A young, newly-qualified dentist displayed a wide array of dental models she made as part of her training in dental school. A chemist showed agriculture products that his department at the Maryland Department of Agriculture Safety inspects.

A public affairs specialist from the Social Security Administration showed a captioned video he helped develop explaining the role of Social Security in our lives. A lithographer brought books he helped prepare for printing. A curator from the Frederick Douglas House displayed historic artifacts. A U.S. Senate staff assistant showed samples of polling interests from constituent letters. A production editor showed sample galleys from book production.

When asked what advice they would offer young people, participants cited the importance of career-oriented work experience in college, the importance of developing good communication skills, and learning how to pay attention to detail. Several of the Gallaudet alumnae mentioned that their careers were directly tied to internships they had as undergraduates.

Tom Quinn, Clerc Center guidance/transition counselor, arranged Career Day with the assistance of the transition team. In addition to organizing the participants, Charmaine Jusevich prepared a Career Day brochure that listed 12 career areas represented at the event. The MSSD teams used the brochure to help prepare the students for interviewing the participants. On Career Day itself, the students used the brochure as their interview notebook. At the end of the day, they wrote down their three career preferences based on what they had learned that day. The brochure will become part of each student's portfolio.

Deaf Participants

Comments or suggestions may be sent to: Katherine DeLorenzo
From On the Green


	Sally Lee-Kerns, a staff assistant in the U.S. Senate, talks with a student while sophomore student Porsche Green explores career information on the "Career Explorer."