LEAD Class of 2024 Visits Nashville Soccer Club Career Exploration Day
LEAD Academy and LEAD Southeast seniors recently got an up-close view of the professional world during a field trip to the Nashville Soccer Club (SC) Youth Career Exploration Day. 
The Nashville SC Youth Career Exploration Day, sponsored by CAT Financial, introduced our students to careers in sports and finance through an immersive day of learning that included job shadowing, professional meet-and-greets with Nashville SC executives and professional staff, and tours of Caterpillar Financial offices and GEODIS Park.
Students learned about key departments within a sports organization – including print and digital media, communications, sales, and community relations – and had the chance to engage with professionals throughout the organization.
“Exposure is everything,” said Courtney McEwen, the director of LEAD’s college and career program. “Opportunities like these provide unique experiences for our students to see a variety of careers in action and network with industry experts to understand personal pathways, strengths, and what next steps to take if they are interested in pursuing a career. Students learn about these jobs in Seminar in high school, but hearing from those who do the job day in and day out helps to bring that learning alive.”
McEwen, who was in attendance with students at Career Exploration Day, emphasized that students had an amazing experience. “The buzz on the bus ride back let me know that their day was full of joy and learning,” she added.
The employees at both Nashville SC and Caterpillar went above and beyond to ensure that students felt both welcomed and informed. The staff at Caterpillar even put on a skit to demonstrate the workflow and purpose of Caterpillar Financial, making their behind the scenes day-to-day come alive. They also led a workshop for students on personal branding, providing a hands-on experience for students to use in any networking or job setting.
“Opportunities like these give students a chance to apply their networking and self-advocacy skills. Their curiosity is on display, and seeing them in settings like this, you get to see them in action in a different way.” –Courtney McEwen, Director, College and Career
Hearing from real professionals in their own city enables students to make connections between their goals and the steps necessary to obtain those goals.
“My favorite part was being able to network with a lot of important people in these companies,” said Marco Vasquez, a senior student at LEAD Academy. “I know my goal is to create financial stability within my family, so having these opportunities is a big thing for me.”
“Students need to see what jobs are available and ones they haven’t thought of before,” said Malorie Moose, the director of science at LEAD who also attended Career Exploration Day. “For example, all of the different jobs they have at Nashville SC! Students talked about how they wanted to work in athletics one day, but thought they had to be an elite athlete themselves. Now they know they could go into finance, marketing, social media, guest experience – the possibilities are endless!”
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