Thanks to the staff at MIT the STEP left this tour truly understanding that working at MIT is a continual collaboration of work , study and creativity. They left full of praise about the time spent with the MIT team…wonderful stories about student pranks, knowledge on the architecture, and all were intrigued to hear that MIT is itself a business providing valuable research to the pharmaceutical industries.

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Boston Medical Center (BMC) once again gave the STEP students a fascinating look into the variety of operations and people that make up a world class medical facility like BMC. The STEP students on the tour, whom are all interested in medical careers, were completely taken in by the visit. As a result of the BMC’s staff’s generous time, attention and genuine enthusiasm for their own careers the students have all expressed motivation to pursue their medical career dreams. We were all impressed by that departments offerings to the BMC community as well as the challenges of medical translation. I am certain this field had never occurred to our students prior to this visit , thank you to BMC for the inspiration.

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Once again our STEP students had a fantastic journey through the world of Essential Design and this industry’s implications in their developing lives. Our students were immediately drawn in by engaging conversation with the Essential Design staff, all directed towards their particular interests and paths thus allowing them the comfort level to interact with the team more easily.

Once engaged, our students were then immersed in the creative process that the Essential Design team handle on a daily basis as a team. They were impressed with this process as is evident in the words of one student when asked how this may have changed her ideas of a career path ,she answered ,
“It made me think of a career in design or engineering” and ” I would really enjoy working in a group of people like this .” STEP extends its sincere appreciation for the Essential Design’s interest in supporting the STEP mission by encouraging and mentoring the STEP students.

Today’s tour was just perfect. From the moment we met the Boston College team to the time we tumbled back on the bus the students were intrigued by all that they saw and learnt at BC. The questions never stopped and on the way back to the school the seniors were planning how they could include an internship/volunteer role in sports events, ticketing, media, medicine at the colleges they go to. The BC team really opened up their minds to college and work within a college. Thank you.

The students held close the advice “college is where you’ll learn about yourself…”.

With many thanks to everyone we met today who inspired the next generation of college/career bound students.

Who wants to work in a place with deadly fan turbines, an indoor pool and fitness center, in-house theater and community space, posh views of the Charles River, and a co-workers that are treated like family? I do, and after the tour of Archstone North Point I think that some students from John D. O’Bryant do too.
Christina and Paul, staff at Archstone North Point, gave the students an intensive tour of the upscale apartment building, showcasing the luxury amenities along with the mechanical logistics required to keep the whole place running. Students learned the basics of hospitality management as it applies to residential building management, along with sales and community development. However the most exciting portion of the tour was a behind the scenes look at the “guts” of building maintenance and just how intricate all of the air, water, trash and fire systems are. Many of the safety features (internal air flow, sprinkler systems, and generators) were the some of the most dangerous mechanics that I’d ever been exposed to – who knew an apartment building could be so deadly?
My favorite part of the company was the fact that Christina and Paul emphasized the family-style management of the building. Since that since the building is always changing and adapting to its residents needs, Archstone is proactive in providing training and education opportunities to its employees (students, please take note of this as proof that education will NEVER end). Students who had expressed entirely non-related interests before the tour were completely invested by the time we left, and most indicated that they could see themselves working in hospitality someday. As long as there’s crazy machinery and picturesque views around, I probably could too.

Huge thank you to Stebs Schinnerer of Paper Fortress film company for coming to the O’Bryant High School to teach students Final Cut Pro Editing program. The Paper Fortress team dedicated its time to the teachings and inspired the students by exposing them to new career opportunities within the film industry For ore information about Paper Fortress got to www.paperfortressfilms.com.

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Members of the O’Bryant Class of 2010 returned to the school yesterday to speak to current students about life at college, the highs and lows of the application process and who to reach out to for help and assistance once they are there.

Amongst this group of confident, caring and successful individuals were several members of the STEP 2010 Alumni. They spoke of the importance that STEP had in the school to college process. How the careers and employees they were exposed to through STEP helped them understand the industries that want their skills and how the communications skills they learnt with STEP have given them the confidence to reach out to companies for college internships. They encouraged the students to join STEP and get a step ahead!

We wish the O’Bryant and STEP Class of 2010 our best wishes and hope they enjoy a well deserved Spring Break.

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Brianna Perkins, spring 2011 intern Kendall Press

Kendall Press Blog: Step Inspire

Step Inspire is a corporation that guides urban students towards a path to success. They allow students to get a preview of what their future would be like; by allowing them opportunities to visit potential future jobs of their interest. Fortunately, they had the chance to come to Kendall Press and explore what we do here. Going into a print shop, they may have had the same thoughts I had when they first walked in. A print shop? “What could you possibly do here that is interesting to teens our age? “ Well to me, that thought was far from their minds when they walked out the door. They got find out what Kendall Press does and how we operate as a company. They even got to talk to some members of the team and we even found out some things about them and their interests. Some were interested in different fields of work like, marketing, accounting, robotics and working with different kinds of technology. I see a lot of potential in those students and thanks to STEP they will have that opportunity to fulfill those dreams. It was a great experience not only for them but for me as well.

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Everyone at STEP is so appreciative of the time and effort the team at the Celtics’ office put into our first Celtic’s STEP tour on Thursday, March 31st. Walking into the impressive front office certainly set the tone for a fun filled afternoon, where the magic of sports and its celebrity players grabbed the attention of our impressionable youth. This tour, from the STEP Team’s stand point, is a model we strive to put forth with all of our Corporate Partners. The Celtics’ staff took advantage of each teaching moment, focusing on practical skills STEP works to ensure is incorporated into each company visit. The event planning for this tour was brilliant! The tour re-enforced the key skills taught by STEP: preparation, planning , managing time, following instructions, understanding consequences, teamwork and building relationships. Their interest and enthusiasm persisted throughout the afternoon, opening up their eyes to a world they knew little to nothing about, until now!

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Last week I was able to join the students for a tour of Essential Design, a research, engineering and design firm. The office was inspiring – full of various medical devices; sports equipment, kitchenware and sound systems that the firm has created from start to finish. Their hall of fame products, along with their wall of inspiration, were a refreshing opportunity for students to see the process behind product development.
Once in the boardroom and plied with sweets, the students were eager to ask questions of the Essential staff, who were equally eager to share their knowledge.
Are good drawing skills necessary to be in design?
Not at all – it’s a skill that comes with practices, but what’s more important is the ability to communicate your ideas.
How do you come up with ideas?
Working and brainstorming as a team – nothing is done in a silo.
What’s the most important skill?
Communication!
What’s the best part of working for Essential?
Being friends with co-workers, in and out of the office.
After the Q&A the Essential team gave the students a taste of what it’s like to work on product development and challenged them to create a product that would improve the college application process. The students brainstormed to list the worst part of the process for students, what colleges were limited by and needed to gain from applications, and what could make the process easier for both parties. Ideas and sparks flew around the room, but unfortunately we had to leave before the ideal product could be created. Next time!