The Pittsburgh Community rallied around the #UcanB Career Education Program. A vast array of organizations and individuals contributed to help educate youth.
More than 50 guest speakers from more than 50 local organizations and businesses visited #UcanB classrooms, participated in #UcanB events and hosted #UcanB students for tours. This allowed #UcanB the opportunity to expose students to a multitude of career paths and job opportunities. Students met with a diverse group of businesses representing government, retail, IT, entrepreneurship, military, media, advanced manufacturing and more!
Some of the programs at Propel Braddock over the years are described below.
Erik Ross of Bitcore and Scott Albert from #UcanB led a STEM seminar at Propel Braddock. Students in the Media and Technology Courses at Propel Braddock participated in the program. This included 10th-12th grade students who are preparing for and learning skills needed to compete in the IT, Media and/or Gaming Industries. Topics for the seminar included Careers in IT, Careers in Media, IT Skills Needed to Succeed, Video Game Design and Entrepreneurship.
The #UcanB Program at Propel Braddock ended with one of the year’s most unique presentations.
Drew Cady, Sound Engineer for Seismic Island Labs in Seattle, concluded the 5-week IT seminar with a Skype presentation for students. The accomplished sound engineer, whose experiences include sound design for Pirates of the Caribbean and Finding Nemo, shared with students the creativity process he now applies to the video game series Guild Wars 1 & Guild Wars 2. Mr. Cady shared videos of his team creating sound effects out of everyday items such as cardboard boxes, musical instruments, animal calls, and even scrap metal turned to fireballs! Every student in the class had the opportunity to ask specific questions. Mr. Cady was very gracious with the time he spent with each student.
In addition to the presentations, every student at Propel Braddock received a FREE online career portal accounts.
This most recent UcanB program at Propel Braddock was made possible through the generous support of the Verizon Foundation. Previous to that, the program was made possible through the suport of the Education Foundation.
Classes in 2018, focused on careers in entrepreneurship, the entertainment industry, softskills and networking, and careers in criminal justice. Recent speakers included:
Aaron Aldrich – Bridgeway Capital
Lee Davis – Presidental Award Winner, Braddock Native, and Entrepreneur
Julius Boatwright – Julius Boatwright, MSW, LSW – Person-Centered Community Servant – Will Allen Foundation
Jessica Albert – US Probation – Careers in Criminal Justice
