Lauren Kitagawa, Trevor Teraoka and Eric McCutcheon

The teaching team’s innovative teaching idea, “Career Readiness Experience,” involves enhancing Henry J. Kaiser High School’s Career Fair which has been held each year since 2023. At the event, more than 30 companies and organizations in the community are invited to host a booth. This exhibition-style event is designed to provide all 1,100 ninth through 12th-grade students a brief overview and experience of the vast array of job opportunities, career options and internships available to them. Each student is provided with a “passport” that they get stamped at each booth after interacting with the presenters. Students who complete their passport by obtaining 15 stamps and completing a survey enter to win prizes generously donated by our participating companies. According to the team, their goal is to use the Voya grant to continue to improve the career fair, so it is not just an interactive experience but an opportunity to showcase their students’ skills and provide work-based learning opportunities.