Career Day Connects Students with Alumni Across Professions

High school is exactly the right time to start thinking about your future work life, and thanks to a School-wide partnership of students, faculty, and administrators, together with the Office of Alumni and Development, Lawrenceville’s second annual Career Day brought more than 70 alumni representing nearly 50 different careers to campus to share their career advice and insights. This was the culmination of a year’s worth of industry-specific career panels co-sponsored by the Alumni Office and Student Council.

Held on a Saturday morning in lieu of classes, Career Day panels addressed a number of topics, including, “How to Find and Secure Internships,” “Falling Forward: How a Setback Helped Further My Career,” “Navigating the AI Workplace and Beyond,” and “Lessons Learned: What I Wish I Knew Earlier in My Career,” along with tips on starting a business, monetizing your passion, and opportunities in the military and public service. These opening panels were followed by job-specific breakout sessions, with each session offered twice.

Throughout the morning, students heard from artists, lawyers, investment bankers, career military personnel, educators, physicians, engineers, writers, real estate developers, and more. Alumni talked about the challenges and opportunities in their industries and what they loved about their jobs. Students asked questions and had the chance to speak with alumni in careers that interested them. A group lunch in Tsai Commons was an additional opportunity to ask questions and chat with alumni one-on-one.

Despite the diversity of jobs represented, common themes emerged.

In the “Lessons Learned” panel, both Scott Aland ’07 and Rachel Farrington ’89 reflected on the value of remaining flexible and retaining a learning mindset. “Every time I started over in my career, I was intentional about the skills and knowledge I took with me to the next job,” said Aland, who now works in residential real estate. Farrington, a pediatrician, noted that the demands of her first career choice, as a doctor in a NICU, didn’t match the life she wanted. “In different chapters of my career I’ve had to reinvent and rethink to balance my life goals,” she said.

Mark Larsen ’72 encouraged students to be open to pursuing a variety of interests. A history major at Princeton, he explained, “I needed a job after college and lucked into a small pharmaceutical company that was about to launch a blockbuster drug. They sent me overseas, and because I was comfortable in the international community, I became their director of Asia operations.”

Larsen’s ease within the international community reflected another theme—the value of “soft” skills and the role Lawrenceville played. “Understanding culture and people is essential in any work,” said Biff Cahill ’68, who noted that he took these skills with him to the Peace Corps and later to a career in banking and finance.

Nicole Ellis ’92, a product manager at Google, expanded on Cahill’s experience to include lessons in teamwork. “You’re likely to be part of a team in most jobs, and at Lawrenceville, your House, the Harkness table, clubs, sports, all have elements of a team and lessons in working with people from many different places and backgrounds.”

Oliver Sissman ’96, a lieutenant and station commander with the New Jersey State Police, added, “No matter what you go on to do, your ability to communicate is going to be hugely important and Lawrenceville absolutely provides a good basis. Equally important for me are leadership and people skills, and again I credit Lawrenceville.”

One of the most well-attended sessions of the morning was the panel presentation on securing internships. Alumni often speak fondly of the lifelong friendships made in the Houses and on teams, and multiple presenters highlighted the value of those relationships in seeking internships. “Don’t be afraid to tap the Lawrenceville network, or any other connections,” said Kevin Huang ’05. “Just be sure to personalize any email or print outreach so it doesn’t sound like it was written by AI.”

Sarah McKani ’07, a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, and Turquoise Brewington ’18, a healthcare consultant, offered advice on navigating internships to make the most of the experience. “In law school I tested out a variety of legal environments through internships—nonprofit, corporate, private firm,” said McKani. “I was able to see daily life as a lawyer in different settings.” Brewington noted, “Internships helped bring my coursework to life and gave me the opportunity to test my skills.” 

In response to a question about the qualities that can turn an internship into an offer, the answers had less to do with actual skills and more to do with personal attributes: attitude; humility, don’t be afraid to ask for help; supporting colleagues; showing you’re coachable.

Across panel presentations and career sessions, students listened to stories of careers advanced or rerouted by economic shifts, a desire for growth, changing priorities—both personal and work, the search for moral clarity, a resetting of goals, and the evolution of industries. The messages from alumni were clear: Careers are often fluid; success is in the eye of the beholder; and quoting Larsen, “Follow your passions and stay curious.”

Aland shared a final thought about maintaining perspective, “There’s no such thing as an advertising emergency.”

Watch a video recap of Career Day on Lawrenceville’s YouTube page. See photos from Career Day on Lawrenceville’s Flickr page.

For more information, contact Lisa M. Gillard H'17, director of public relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.