Thinking About The Future

Career Day at Wells is an important part of Brewster students’ education–at a time when they are just starting to think about their future–by exposing them to a wide range of possibilities they might not have known existed, or making the impossible seem within reach. On Friday, eighth graders participated in Career Day, attending three sessions with 24 speakers from a wide variety of fields—from architecture to comedy and entrepreneurship to cosmetology. Though their careers differed, each speaker emphasized the importance of open-mindedness, flexibility, and strong interpersonal skills.

The morning opened with an energizing keynote from Eric Zeyher—a former D-1 athlete turned music producer, trainer, and business owner—who pushed students to stay curious and ask meaningful questions. “Be curious, ask questions. Great questions unlock great stories!” he said.

Each classroom in the eighth-grade hallway was filled: Erik Wilson- Architect was in Room 206, Ken Ross - SPCA Officer was in Room 220, Courtney Effaldana - Crime Scene Analyst was in Room 222, Robert Biagi–lawyer was in Room 225, Taylor Martin - Art Director was in Room 208, Scott Lewis - Retired Secret Service/Security Consult was in Room 226, Franklin Asante - CPA/Professor was in Room 227. Students listened attentively and asked great questions.

“Why did you choose law? What are your hours like? What did you study in college?

Can you get certified before going to college? How long did it take you to write the code for your software? What’s your work day like? Why does a Secret Service Agent need scuba gear? What was the most exciting problem you solved? How far can your rescue dog, Onyx, detect a scent?” 

Students got to pass around gear, put on helmets, pat work dogs, practice rolling hair on a mannequin and test equipment.

One speaker, Graeme Banks, is only a junior in college but already the founder and CEO of his own company, TransferU. After struggling to transfer credits to his new college—and realizing that families spend millions of dollars each year on extra classes because transfer credits are lost—he created software to help others avoid the same problem. “I’m a humanities student—I study social studies—I never imagined myself writing code to solve a problem,” he told students. “But I saw a problem and wanted to solve it. I want you to know you can do anything you put your mind to. Find your why!”

His message resonated with aspiring entrepreneur and eighth grader Jackson Malloy, who had spent the entire summer trying to identify a problem in the market that hadn’t already been solved. “The market is so oversaturated. I couldn’t find anything that hasn’t been done already,” Jackson said. Graeme responded by explaining, “I didn’t know transfer credits were a problem in the world until I lived it. My lived experience sparked my imagination.”

Special thanks to all of the individuals who came to Wells to speak to students about their careers and to Joanna Biagi and Monica Hamel-Guzman for organizing the day and all of the teachers and staff who helped out and supported BCSD’s career initiative.