JA Inspire event to offer students insight into 'dream jobs'

Apr. 6—WILKES-BARRE — Sometimes when a young person begins to think about what his or her dream job would be, an inspiration would be helpful.

Susan Magnotta, president at Junior Achievement of NEPA, says JA Inspire is at the heart of Junior Achievement's mission to expose students to hands-on, interactive learning experiences that encourage them to think about their futures and become better prepared for the real world.

Magnotta said JA Inspire this year will include a "Dream Job" section, where students will be able to talk one-on-one with professionals, including surgeons, athletes, news anchors, authors, politicians and more. It will also include a legal careers room.

"We are excited to expand this year and look forward to touching the lives of a whole new group of young people," Magnotta said.

JA Inspire will take place Tuesday, April 16, and Wednesday, April 17, at the Mohegan Pennsylvania Convention Center. The 2024 JA Inspire Career Exploration Experience is presented by Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services & DiscoverNEPA.

This is the second year Junior Achievement of NEPA is hosting this one-of-a-kind career exploration event. Magnotta said JA Inspire engages high school students in hands-on, interactive exhibits with local companies, exposing them to career opportunities, creating connections and inspiring them toward a pathway for future success.

Jim Cummings, vice president of marketing, Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services, said, "JA Inspire, through its unique hands-on approach, is a tremendously effective event. Our students get to meet with local business leaders and learn, in very practical terms, what people really do when they go to work and what specific skills are needed to qualify for a wide variety of jobs. We hope that hundreds of NEPA students are able to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity."

Last year, Magnotta said 1,500-plus students from 16 school districts attended the event.

"It brought high school students together with business professionals from more than 65 local businesses, trades, educational institutions, organizations and entrepreneurs," Magnotta said. "JA Inspire provided students with the opportunity to learn about careers in a variety of industries and sectors."

Last year, Magnotta said JA Inspire had a "Dream Job" wall where students wrote on a sticky note their dream job and stuck it on the wall.

"From looking at the many dream jobs listed, we identified some careers that were popular among students and may not necessarily be covered withing the attending businesses," she said.

Here are some of the people that hold "dream jobs" who will be featured at JA Inspire:

—Caila Klaiss, National News Producer & Novelist

Caila started interning at ABC News during her junior year of college and continued to climb the ranks of producer within the network for nearly two decades. She spent a bulk of her career working on 20/20. During her time at ABC, Caila also produced programming for Good Morning America, World News with David Muir, Nightline and Digital. Caila's work has been recognized with multiple Peabody and Edward R. Murrow Awards and a Salute to Excellence Award presented by the National Association of Black Journalists. In recent months, Caila has taken a break from hard news and is writing her first novel.

—Erin Dugan, Beauty Influencer

Erin Dugan Jurchak is a stay-at-home mom and TikTok sensation known for her passion for all things makeup, hair, skincare, and beauty. Her authenticity and relatability have resonated with more than 3.4 million followers across social media who trust her as an expert source for beauty trends, tips, tutorials, product reviews, and more. Erin is dedicated to empowering her followers to feel confident and comfortable in their own skin.

—Kelly Byrne, News Anchor

Kelly Byrne joined the Eyewitness News team in 2017 as morning co-anchor. You can catch her each weekday from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. on WBRE and 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. on WYOU. She also anchors the 12 p.m. show on WYOU. Kelly was born and raised in Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia.

—Stephanie Jallen

Jallen is a 2X United States Paralympic Ski Team Member. She represented the United States in the Paralympic Games held in Sochi, Russia (2014) and Pyeongchang, South Korea (2018) for Alpine Skiing. In Sochi, she was a Bronze Medalist in Super G and Bronze Medalist in Super Combined Events. In 2014, she was Voted "Best Female Athlete of the Paralympic Games" and "Best Moment of the Games."Stephanie was named to 2011-12 United States Paralympic Ski Team at age 15.

—Tom Williams, News Anchor

Award-winning journalist Tom Williams joined the Eyewitness News morning team in 2023. A Wyoming Valley West High School graduate, he received his degree in Broadcast Journalism from Penn State University. He began his broadcast career at WILK Radio in Wilkes-Barre, and took his first job in television in New York state. He returned to NEPA where he went onto takeover morning anchoring duties at the local ABC affiliate, a position he held for 30-years. Tom earned an Associated Press Award for reporting and a Broadcaster's Award for outstanding reporting.

—Cassandra Coleman

Cassandra Coleman was appointed Executive Director for the America250PA initiative in 2019. Prior to that, she served as Special Advisor to the Office of Governor Tom Wolf and Director of Governor Wolf's Northeast & Central offices. In this role, she was responsible for intergovernmental and constituency services in 28 counties. At the age of twenty, she was appointed Mayor of her hometown of Exeter Borough to fill her late grandfather, Mayor Joseph Coyne's unexpired term.

'Entrepreneur' Room

This room will be hosted by LCCC, with mini sessions throughout the day including "How to Create an Elevator Pitch," "Creating the Perfect Resume," "Social Media & Your Career" and more.

There will also be an Entrepreneur Room hosted by Jacobi Financial, which will feature different entrepreneurs speaking every hour over the 2 day period to provide insight as to the opportunities and challenges in starting your own business. Examples include:

—Samantha Patterson, Motion Yoga and Integrated Wellness Studio

—Zubeen Saeed, Building Blocks Learning Center

—Jimmy Martin, Creator of the Brrrn Board.

—Carlos de Leon, La Tolteca

—Josh Mason, Fame Strength

—Denise Ogurkis, Owner of many businesses, including The Hatchet Factor and Bounce Fit & Bowls.

—Paula Rochon Mackarey, Happenings Magazine

—Karina Chavez, Empanada King

A room focused on legal careers will be hosted by Fellerman & Ciarimboli. There will be a rotation of sessions covering law careers, as well as mock trial demos.

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