A host of community members representing a wide range of careers and disciplines shared their perspectives, experience and knowledge with 180 eighth-graders during two recent career days.

Sponsored by AAUW Port Townsend, the event invited eighth-grade students from Port Townsend, Chimacum, Quilcene and Brinnon public schools to chose which sessions they wanted to attend, and then listen to the presenters and pose questions.

“Career Day opens up possibilities for students that they might not otherwise have. They can connect and ask questions, and begin to imagine what their future might look like,” said Beth Clifford, Chimacum Middle School counselor. Several students requested private meetings after the event for career consultations.

Speakers represented careers in writing, boatbuilding, health care, marine trades, biology, police and fire departments, technology, veterinary medicine, electronics and more.

The sessions are designed to inform and expand students' thinking about career options. Presenters describe their jobs as well as the education and training needed to build a successful career.

AAUW Port Townsend has hosted career days since 1995, in partnership with local middle schools.

“Blue Heron staff and students are grateful that AAUW and our community support an important event like Career Day,” said Kirsten Bledsoe, school counselor. “We appreciate all the time and effort that made it possible for our eighth-graders to learn about careers firsthand.”

“Our sincere thanks to the middle school counselors and AAUW volunteers who orchestrated the events this year,” said Diana Cummins, AAUW Career Day cochair, “and especially to the career presenters, who generously took time from their work to talk to our kids and no doubt left many positive and lasting impressions. We are very lucky to have such an array of talented professionals in our corner of the world.”

Presenters included: Jody Gentian Bowser, Ph.D. (arts and writing); Northwest Maritime Center executive director Betsy Davis, student services coordinator Tulip Morrow and admissions representative Heidi Groh (business and wooden boatbuilding); Liz Hunt (business and product development); Sarah Schmidt, M.D., and medical student Caitlin Harrington (health science); Christine Jacobson, boat rigger at Port Townsend Rigging (maritime trades);

Amy Johnson, volunteer coordinator for Port Townsend Marine Science Center (marine biology); Shaun Bell, oceanographic research engineer and scientist at the Pacific Marine Environments Lab; Ivonne Ortiz, Ph.D., research scientist at the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington, and affiliate at Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, NOAA (ocean science); Bill Beezley, public information officer for East Jefferson Fire Rescue (public safety/EJFR); Jeremy Virgen, police officer, Port Townsend Police Department (public safety/PTPD); Kevin Streett, electric superintendent, Public Utilities District

(public utilities); Myron Vogt, Bob Keeve and Dick Ostlund, the Boeing Company (technology, electronic engineering, design engineering); Abbie Doll, DVM, and Jeff Highbarger, DVM, veterinarians and owners of Chimacum Veterinary Hospital and Pet Townsend Veterinary Clinic; and Sara Penhallegon, licensed veterinary technician at Chimacum Veterinary Hospital (veterinary science).

In addition to hosting annual career days, AAUW Port Townsend and its affiliate, the University Women's Foundation of Jefferson County, promote education and equity through various scholarships and awards, and elementary school projects in math and literacy. For more information visit pt-wa.aauw.net or contact Anne Englander at 390-5896.