Palo Alto High School will host a handful of career speakers during lunch every day from March 19-30 for the annual Career Month event, according to Career Adviser Christina Owen.

This year, no prior sign-ups are required and all speakers will present in the Social Studies Resource Center or the English Resource Center to reduce confusion. Free lunch will be provided for the first 250 students. 

Owen hopes that students will take advantage of these presentations to consider pursuing career and educational paths based on their interests, rather than succumb to extrinsic factors such as parental and peer pressure.

“All the speakers have been very carefully selected,” Owen said. “People who exemplify this important message for our students, ‘Do what you love, and do it well.’ ”

A variety of occupations will be represented, including non-profit work, law enforcement, performing arts, medicine, and many more. All will talk about their “interesting career paths and stories of how they found passion in work and life,” Owen said. 

After hearing these speakers, Owen believes that students will “keep an open mind about post high school plans and not get too hung up on what school they go to, or choosing a career based on what other people think,” which will benefit them in the long run.

“If students keep all options available, they may find career and educational paths that bring more fulfillment to their lives, because they are more passionate about what they do,” Owen said.