Bishop Gorman hosts annual Career Day

Published 5:30 am Friday, November 15, 2024

On Thursday, Bishop Thomas K. Gorman held a professional forum career day. The students received the opportunity to hear from presenters in a plethora of fields, such as officers, state troopers, SWAT, hairdressers, massage therapists, entrepreneurs, chemical engineers, civil engineers, CPAs, personal financial advisors, and home loan officers.

The presenters included: Mr. Greg Richbourg, Mr. Adam Todd, Ms. Kim Borelli, Mrs. Lori Maldonado, Mr. Travis Bozick, Mr. Rea Boudreaux, Mr. Kenneth Richbourg, Mr. Adam Albuitton, Mr. DJ Schick, Ms. Rebecca Carney, Mrs. Atti Kate Pilgrim, and Ms. Amy Chesley.

The presenters shared exciting experiences about their educational careers, how they ended up in their current job fields, and their experiences working and traveling all over the world. Despite the varying educational backgrounds and work fields, they seemed to share a common theme: follow your passion.

Upon hearing how many of the presenters attended college for majors different from their current job fields, Bishop Gorman junior Abigail West said, “It gave me a better perspective on the process of ‘climbing the mountain’ to achieve my career goals.”

Bishop Gorman students also expressed it was eye-opening to learn how much emotional demand is in some careers (especially law enforcement).

Engineering

The presenters in the engineering field included Lori Maldonado (a chemical engineer), Rea S. Boudreaux (a civil engineer), and Bishop Gorman alumnus Travis A. Bozick (a civil engineer).

Maldonado has been working in the engineering field for 26 years as a chemical engineer, specializing in the oil and gas industry. Bozick, class of 2001, and Boudreaux, father of a class of 2013 Bishop Gorman alum, both work within the Brannon Corporation. The Brannon Corporation handles projects on everything from airports to swimming pools and everything in between, such as wastewater treatment plants, roads, bridges, schools, athletic facilities, and more.

“I love the engineering field because I get to see the problem and solve the problem,” Boudreaux said.

He has been passionate about his job for 42 years and continues to love it every day.

Entrepreneurs and Trades

Amy Chesley (entrepreneur), Atti Kate Pilgrim (massage therapist), and Rebecca Carney (hairstylist) all shared amazing stories about how they became a part of the trade lifestyle.

Chesley, Pilgrim, and Carney all shared their opinions on how you “must be a people person” in order to do their job, and you must have “passion.” They also mentioned how their hours are nice and flexible, allowing them to create their own hours. They all agreed that if someone moves to a new realtor, doctor, or hairstylist, “Do not take it personally and don’t always try to be a people pleaser.”

New Perspective on Career Paths

Bishop Thomas K. Gorman students felt the invited presenters gave great insight and perspective on how to begin choosing a career path. They also mentioned experiencing many “light bulb” moments on new career paths that were not previously on their radars. The students believe that the experiences at the professional forum with the presenters helped them learn about how to achieve a fulfilling career path.