15 Dec Virtual Career Fest 2021

Virtual Career Fest 2021

by Ms. Karla Verzosa

The Career Festival with the theme Going Places is centered on topics related to success and values that  are essential in the career decision-making process. The event covered different activities which include Career Exploration Talks, Career Show and Tell, Strand-Based Career Talks, College Admissions Talks, College Show and Tell, Personality Development Workshop and the first ever Virtual Career Fair. Now on  its second ODL year, all career fest activities were conducted using the zoom application as the official  platform.

Simultaneous career talks were organized per level for Junior High School Students on November 10 and  22, 2021. Grades 7 and 8 adapted the theme Plan Ahead which featured invited student leaders from Senior High School. It was held on the first day of the second semester, November 22, 2021 during the  Homeroom Period. The invited speakers shared their personal journeys in high school. It was specifically  designed to address the needs of the younger batches in terms of adjustment and coping with the  demands of high school life.

On November 10, 2021, the Career Show and Tell for Grade 9 students with the theme Choosing  Destination highlighted the testimonials of ICA alumnae from three different fields namely Graphic Arts,  Media and Journalism and Culinary Arts/Entrepreneurship. Students were given the opportunity to listen  and interact with professionals outside their usual family networks and to learn by listening in “real world” contexts.

The Grade 10, for its part, were provided with Strand-Based Career Talks with the theme Embark Together.  This plenary session enabled students to listen and ask questions to invited speakers from the first cohort  of the IBDP Curriculum (Xenix Batch) and second cohort of the K-12 curriculum (Aeris Batch). It served as  a learning session in relation to strand choice and college course decision making.

The Senior High School Career Fest activities were held on November 25-26, 2021. The College Admissions  Talk for Grade 11 students adapted the theme Off to College. The session provided an opportunity for the  prestigious local universities to discuss their respective academic programs and course offerings. On the  other hand, the College Show and Tell was conducted simultaneously for the graduating batch with the  theme College Bound. These talks enabled Grade 12 students to listen and interact with invited college  students from different local universities. It provided an avenue for them to share something about  college life and their choice of course. These talks were designed to address the needs of the senior high  school students in terms of preparing themselves as they begin the process of being college-ready by the  time they finish high school.

In partnership with Edukasyon.ph and Dove Self-Esteem project, the Virtual Personality Development  Workshop was provided for SHS/IB students on both days. It is an interactive workshop where students  embark on a journey to build their confidence and self-esteem by taking a series of online learning  activities guided by experts. The theme Confident Me: Virtual Camp consists of a series of short discussions with infographics, video content materials played on screen and interactive student polls that  added up to online engagement and participation. It was specifically designed to address the needs of  senior high school students in optimizing college readiness.

On its first year on a virtual platform, the Career Fair 2021 adapted the theme, #TakeOff2021. With AUG  Student Services as the official service provider and partner education agency, the virtual fair was  participated from over 25 local and foreign universities. It served as an opportunity for students to interact with college admissions representatives and discuss about their respective academic programs and course  offerings. Through this interactive digital platform, students were able to receive more in-time  information about the university by listening to the presentations that were made available during the  simultaneous breakout sessions. Through this event, they were able to discover different options and  explore new insights about college placement.