Career days inform, inspire and educate. Morrison Hershfield staff shared stories about electrical engineering at Aiton Elementary School in Washington DC, where students have a wide range of dreams for the future. We met some aspiring doctors, pilots, fire fighters, teachers, engineers … and even one unicorn!
Aiton Elementary School’s mission is to work effectively with parents, the community and other partners to provide a positive educational experience for every student. One initiative that supports this goal is its annual “Career Day”.
Career days help students as young as elementary school age start thinking about what they want to do as adults. They get to see a variety of career opportunities, in this case ranging from doctors and lawyers to emergency service providers, artists and musicians. Career days energize students and excite them about what they COULD do.
Brandon Davis is an electrical engineering designer with Morrison Hershfield. He spent time with fourth and fifth graders to talk about his job, using hands-on demonstrations, relatable examples and videos to capture the attention of the group. Brandon shared videos of arc flash events to demonstrate the power of electrical systems and reinforce the importance of taking steps to avoid these situations. He also showed off his personal protective equipment, which the students particularly enjoyed because it made him look like an astronaut.
Brandon’s favorite part of the day was when the class shared what they want to be when they grow up. There was a wide range of responses, including a few engineers! “The kids were awesome and seemed genuinely interested in engineering. I hope I have inspired some future engineers.”
Morrison Hershfield supports a variety of outreach initiatives that involve children and youth, to demonstrate the vast possibilities that exist when it comes to a career in engineering. Making an early connection between interests, skill sets and careers might just ignite a child’s curiosity and open their eyes to new possibilities.
Thank you Brandon for a job well done!
