High Schoolers Turn Out for 8th Annual 'Careers in Business Night'

Much of high school education centers around providing students with the skills and tools they will need to chart a course for their futures. On Wednesday night, scores of Eastchester teens participated in an important part of that process, when they turned out in droves for the 8th Annual 'Careers in Business Night' hosted by the Future Business Leaders of America club. 

From 7-9 p.m., high schoolers gathered in the Eastchester Middle School Gymnasium to meet with 32 local professionals representing a number of potential career fields, including marketing, finance, real estate, entrepreneurship and more.

FBLA President Nomuun Undrakh, a senior, said she remembers attending her first Careers in Business Night four years ago and recalled the impact the event had on her. 

“Coming into ninth grade, I vaguely knew that I eventually wanted to do something in a STEM field,” said Undrakh. “But seeing all the professionals here and talking to them about their careers really helped me start to narrow down my list and got me to think about what I plan to study in college.”

Allison Muller, the Chief Marketing Officer at ACTO Software, gave the keynote address at Wednesday’s event, reminding students that the more information they have at their fingertips, the better equipped they will be to make informed decisions when it comes to the pursuit of a career in any particular field. 

Of course, she noted, she doesn’t expect students to have everything figured out quite yet. 

“I was thinking about what to share tonight; if I were looking at my teenage self, what might I tell her that would help,” said Muller. “So I wanted to share the things that I think will help you now.”

Muller broke down some of the important questions students should ask themselves when thinking about a potential career path. Whether it’s aligning one’s skills to a particular industry, recognizing the pros and cons of working for larger or smaller companies, or thinking about the scope of a particular organization’s reach—would you rather work for a global company or one that serves more of a localized clientele—exploring how one would fit into an existing corporate structure is always an important step in any career decision.

Alex Chirico, who serves as the FBLA’s treasurer, said he was excited to see the turnout for Wednesday’s event, noting that although the extra credit being offered to attendees might have enticed some to spend the evening chatting about post-graduation plans, there was a real thirst for information that permeated the event.

“What you’re really here to do is learn from these people,” said Chirico. “These are adults, these are businesspeople who have the knowledge and can give that to you. So when I see all these kids coming here, I don’t see them coming here for extra credit; I see kids who are trying to figure out what they want to do.”