This past Tuesday, Niles North hosted “Ask the Expert Day”. Teachers had the opportunity to invite lay people from outside of Niles North to speak to their classes about their chosen professions. The purpose of this event was to provide students with information about different jobs, ultimately helping students find a profession that interests them. Ask the Expert Day helps create a link between classes and extracurriculars and careers.

Ask the Expert Day, organized by Niles North’s Education to Careers Coordinator Lisa Edelson, included professionals from the fields of engineering, photography, auto mechanics, banking, fashion, pharmaceutical, chemistry and world languages. Teachers who requested to have a professional talk to their students informed Edelson and she found a speaker to meet their needs. The day is intended to help students make a more informed decision about college and careers by demonstrating the direct relationship of the students academic classes and extracurricular activities to life skills and opportunities in the work place.

Inspired by Ask the Expert Day, junior Leah Berlowe said, “I really enjoyed having an expert come and talk to my APES class. I think these types of speakers are very interesting because they have a deep understanding for the field they work in and can practically apply it to what students are learning in class.”

Niles North has hosted Ask the Expert Day for 14 years. This year, 60 experts visited almost 110 classrooms.