Real World Leaders

Our students at Caring People Alliance RW Brown OST cohort had the opportunity to speak with Kimberly B. and Yvonne Acuna with Cleanlogic. Kimberly B. told the students one quote she lives by don’t make fake it until you make it but “fake it until you become it.” Yvonne Acuna gave the students advice on becoming more confident. “ You have a voice, share your ideas and put yourself out there.” Thank you Kimberly B. and Yvonne Acuna for having patience with our students. We hope to see you both again.

Thank you to Tom Rimel, President of Stockwell Elastomerics, for being our guest on our RWL radio show recording today! Tom was interviewed by Ebube Wobo's students at TechCORE2. When describing his path to becoming President of Stockwell Elastomerics, Tom talked about the many jobs he has held throughout his life. From being a busboy at a local restaurant and moving furniture at an antique store while in high school, to his many roles in the corporate world, Tom said he has always raised his hand when an opportunity arose. “I’ll do it! I’ll give it a try!” We can learn so much by keeping an open mind and being willing to try new things. Our students appreciated learning more about Stockwell Elastomerics' business and Tom's career path. One student said "Thank you for your time. I greatly appreciate those who took time out of their day to help younger generations. I learned a great deal!" Comments like those make our day!! #trynewthings #realworldleaders #grateful

It’s the middle of Summer and our incredible students from NE Frankford had the opportunity to co-host Real World Leaders with the amazing Heather Quinn and @brianmcgrath from Acme-Hardesty, Co. to interview Jami Wintz McKeon, CEO of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Jami shared that she has only had two jobs in her life: being a lifeguard as a teen and then becoming an attorney working for the same firm she now leads! The students asked about how to decide what angle they should consider starting their careers and Jami responded in the most refreshing and summer-appropriate way: dip your food in all of it! Meaning: our students are young and bright and have every opportunity in front of them, “continue to network and learn from others!” Thank you Jami for spending time pouring into our students… this will definitely be a highlight of their summer!

Today the students of Caring People Alliance (CPA South HS) got to speak with Siobhan L'Heureux and Val O'Connor from RJP Consulting Group, LLC during a career coaching session. When asked by a student, "What advice would you give someone who doesn't know what they want to do yet?" Siobhan L'Heureux responded how important it was to "Explore...if something interests you, network and check it out!" while Val O'Connor echoed the importance of networking and to "surround yourself with successful people." Thank you RJP Consulting Group, LLC for lending us such awesome guests for the hour!

Pennoni allowed us to borrow Agha Hasan to speak with our students from Caring People Alliance ( CPA West group). Agha Hasan gave our students great advice. He told them that if they are really passionate about something then they should “ follow their dreams.” No matter how out of this world the dream may seem “ if someone else can do it then you can do it better.” Thank you Agha Hasan for speaking with our students!

This was Caring People Alliance (RW Brown JEVS group) first career coaching session. They had the opportunity to speak with the Sr. Account Manager at Clemens Food Group, Sarah Pletscher. During this discussion we spoke about what leadership means and how to be a leader. Sarah Pletscher stated “ Leaders are ever growing.” As a leader you never stop learning new ways of thinking. She followed that up by saying she always pushes herself “ what can I do better?” Thank you Sarah Pletscher for speaking with our students on leadership this week!

Our student mentors from NE Frankford Boys & Girls Club had their first Career Coaching with Thinc Forward. They had the opportunity to speak with Michael Cleary and Sheri Leuze. Michael Cleary gave the kids great advice and told them “ If you have a passion for something try it.” We never know what we truly want to do until we do it. Sheri Leuze told the students “sometimes money doesn’t bring happiness.” Is it great to go for a career that makes a lot of money of course but you always want to put you happiness above all. Thank you Sheri Leuze and Michael Cleary for speaking with our students.

Our students from Hopeworks were excellent co-hosts for our Real World Leaders Radio Show! Our CEO guests were Michael Precopio CEO of Summers Laboratories and Dan Rhoton CEO of Hopeworks. When discussing the importance of keeping your word, Michael Precopio said, “Most people give up when it comes to doing difficult things, and that’s the time when people distinguish themselves.” And when sharing how his English teacher in high school helped inspire him to do more, Dan Rhoton said, “Young adults who haven’t been successful in the past, sometimes they just need someone to NOT GIVE UP.”

What an amazing group of students from Imhotep Institute Charter High School who asked great questions while interviewing our two CEO guests James Wang of Asian Bank and Joe Hurwitz Founder and CEO of Ace Designs Inc. questions during our Real World Leaders Radio show! “There’s a whole world out there that you don’t know, and for you to explore,” said James Wang when sharing the upside of learning to adapt to a new community. And when asked about the importance of working as a team in business, Joe Hurwitz answered,  “Absolutely, I think in any organization, being social, working as a part of a team, and working with people, that’s what it’s all about.”

Who says Zoom meetings in the summer can’t be fun!?!? Just look at those smiling faces! We had three amazing guests from Norstella join us for a Career Coaching session this afternoon with students from TechCORE2 Philadelphia. A huge shout-out to Thomas Halliday, General Manager of Strategic Intelligence, Vicky Harris, General Counsel, and Carrie Yonenson, Chief HR Officer. Tom and Vicky joined us all the way from the UK!! One of the themes of today’s session was strategies to stay focused and be successful in your career. Carrie said “When you like what you do and enjoy the people you work with, it’s easier to stay focused. Do what brings you joy! It’s ok to change your path. There is no right or wrong path that you’re going to take. You’re going to take the best path there is for you.” Tom’s advice: “Just listen… it’s really important all through life. And enjoy it! A lot of your time is going to be spent working. If you can find something you’re passionate about and have great people around you, it makes life a lot better and a lot more fun. Also, it’s always positive to ask for help. Never try to do this by yourself. It’s a team sport what we do!” Vicky encouraged the students to check out Norstella’s fantastic summer internship program in the future to get a taste of the many different roles throughout the company! #networking #mentors #realworldleaders