Whitney Young HS Students Do Mock Interviews with Business Groups

As the school year draws to a close, Wednesday, May 19 was the perfect opportunity to encourage students to get ready for summer employment through mock interviews that were conducted virtually. The Whitney M. Young Magnet High School Business Education classes, led by award winning teacher, Carol Uhl-Alba, worked with Mentoring Mission and Junior Achievement Chicago and a cadre of mentors to help make this happen.

Volunteers from ConAgra, Harlem Irving Companies, Cintas Corporation, TCF Bank, Choice Hotels, Plastic Industry Association, Oracle, Itasca Bank, ACH Food, Equitable Investments and Cast Products conducted the mock interviews, similar to what a student would experience in a real job interview.

Junior Achievement’s SVP of Education & Operations, Maria Ramos, coordinated training and materials, ensuring that volunteers were uniformly prepared to work with the students. JA held a virtual interviewing training, reviewing technology requirements, scheduling, and classroom expectations. Ramos also recruited mentors to aid in this project. Chicago Public Schools assisted in checking all volunteers and verifying credentials.

Over 60 students benefited from the mock interview workshop. Many of the mentors are Human Resource professionals on the front line of hiring. Students were able to ask questions and learn tips and tricks on how to approach factual and behavioral questions.

The business leaders were impressed with the student engagement during the workshop:

“Congrats! If all your students are like the ones I met, it is a testament to what they learn at school and at home. I hope in some way I was able to help."
Steve Petrakis, Vice President, Plastic Industry Association

“I enjoy helping students learn skills that will allow them to excel in life. Mock interviews allow those with experience rehearse with those who don’t have that specific skillset to get somewhere they couldn’t get to alone.”
Jarrod Shaw, Financial Analyst, ConAgra

“Thank you for the opportunity to support a few of your students in a mock interview. It was a wonderful experience! They all had responses to many of the questions I had and were very fluid. I have done mock interviews in the past with other high schools and I will say your students are very well prepared!”
Cynthia Saucedo, Cintas Corporation

Carol Valentino-Barry, project manager, uses her experience in both secondary education and in business to bridge partnerships between the two to open up career opportunities and workforce readiness for the students.

About Whitney Young High School:
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School is one of the Chicago Public Schools. Our mission is to provide a college preparatory academic program that challenges all students to reach their maximum potential. We will provide an environment of excellence, responsibility, and diversity that fosters intellectual, social, and technological skills accomplished through professional development, structured learning experiences and parental support.

About Junior Achievement Chicago
The mission of Junior Achievement is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. The inspiration piece comes from community volunteers who not only deliver our lessons, but share their experience. Junior Achievement of Chicago provides ways to get involved for individuals to volunteer, schools looking for educational materials, or businesses looking to help expand the reach of their mission. Please visit www.jachicago.org to learn more on how you can get involved.

About Mentoring Mission and Carol Valentino-Barry
Carol Valentino-Barry is a freelance educator in her hometown, Chicago, Illinois, where her projects bring together business and education. Mentoring Mission programs help students attain their goals, grow academically, and foster social responsibility. Mentoring has a lasting impact on a student's future life achievement, creates opportunity, and influences a new generation of leaders. The website is www.mentoringmission.org.