Foothill students connect with company leaders for ‘speed interviews’

DECA, PPIE sponsor career prep event with Google, Workday and more

DECA students planned the speed interview program in conjunction with Pleasanton Partnerships in Education (PPIE). From left to right: Tami Raaker (Foothill DECA advisor), Kylie Maeda, Trinity Chang, Brandon Ricci, Jacob Bolano, Pranav Dhar and Steve McCoy-Thompson (PPIE executive director). (Photo courtesy of Foothill DECA)

by Erika Alvero / Pleasanton Weekly

The program was hosted by the high school’s DECA program in conjunction with Pleasanton Partnerships in Education (PPIE) as a way to help prepare students for their own careers.

“These students are so capable and positive — I honestly came away feeling very hopeful about our future,” said Stephen Hilton, board president of PPIE and a senior vice president at Robert Half International.

Students from Integrated Marketing Communications and the Economics of Business Ownership participated in the event on March 27. At the session, each student met with a volunteer for a 15-minute interview and presented a two-minute “pitch,” answered interview questions and received feedback.

Volunteers also shared with students about their own career paths and experiences.

“Our students were so excited by this opportunity and they took a lead role in making it happen — from preparing their own portfolios and LinkedIn profiles to ensuring the day went smoothly for our guests,” said Tami Raaker, a teacher and the DECA adviser at Foothill.

“It was really amazing to have this opportunity to interact with industry professionals and getting to hear about their career expertise and life experiences,” said Rithvik Sunku, the DECA club’s director of training. “As a high school student, experiences like this make me glad that I am in a career technical education class like Economics of Business Ownership.”

The speed interview session comes as PPIE has been increasing efforts to connect Pleasanton students with additional resources from the local business community, including through working with the Tri-Valley Regional Occupation Program and having company representatives virtually visit classrooms.

Foothill principal Sebastian Bull added that he hopes to expand the program next year at Foothill and with Amador Valley High.

“We’re excited about the future, and we look forward to working with business and education leaders to shape that future for our students,” said PPIE executive director Steve McCoy-Thompson.

The companies who participated in the session heralded from a wide array of fields: 1st United Credit Union, U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell’s office, Deep Sentinel, Google, Huntington Learning Center, FIDM, Intel, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Mirador Capital Partners, Oracle, Robert Half International, Roche Molecular Diagnostics, StartUp Genius, Valley Humane Society, Wells Fargo and Workday.

Original Article: https://pleasantonweekly.com/news/2018/04/09/foothill-students-connect-with-company-leaders-for-speed-interviews