Sharma, aspiring to a future in medicine, had faced two rejections from Carroll Medical Academy, an advanced, selective high school academic program for Carroll ISD students who are interested in pursuing careers within the medical field. Without admission into the program, Sharma and others could not enroll in special courses or take part in other educational and network opportunities used to help advance and inspire students’ careers in the medical sector.
“Whether students are looking into medicine or another career, I realized that we needed to give everyone an equal opportunity to go further into their careers and explore,” Sharma says. “Without that, you can feel kind of lost and unprepared for what’s next after high school.”
Gari, who hopes to one day work in business, spent her time searching for internships and shadowing opportunities at local companies. Although she eagerly expressed her natural curiosity for business and desire for a professional mentor, many of her calls were ignored and left unanswered.
“I was like, ‘OK I’m just a high schooler. I probably have to wait for college to be able to make those connections,’” Gari says. “Then I realized there were probably a lot of other students in the same place that I was. … Learning how to talk to professionals and express our career passions and interests is as important to high schoolers as it will be in college, so why shouldn’t we be able to do that now? So we made it happen.”
The two teens hit on the idea of a career summit for students at Carroll ISD. Their first Career Connection Summit in 2023 would help others like them looking to meet with and learn from local companies and organizations about their field of work and related opportunities. After several unsuccessful rounds of cold calling the companies themselves, Gari and Sharma were able to partner with the Southlake Foundation Student Leadership Program, which helps young service-minded leaders become involved early in civic engagement and their fields of interest. By using the program’s connections, the summit was able to secure 50 company booths at the high school’s event, with appearances ranging from a Marriott Hotel chef to a former Dallas Cowboys football player, and had more than 500 networking attendees visit the event.
“It was amazing to see it all come together,” Gari says. “It really showed how students can and want to make a big impact.”
Second Summit Coming This Weekend
The second annual Career Connection Summit will be held Saturday, March 23, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Giya says last year’s success and the recent increase in booths from 50 to 70 gives her enough confidence to say that the 2024 summit will be able to impact an even larger number of aspiring professionals. “Last year, we thought the turnout was amazing because we'd never done something like that before, our city had never experienced that before,” Gari says. “But this year, doing almost double the amount, we're expecting another round of amazing feedback. We're expecting a lot of happy faces. We're expecting people to come prepared with resumes and full professional outfits. We're expecting loud noises, lots of networking — so many cool things this year.”
Both Gari and Sharma want the summit to emphasize how students can have successful opportunities in traditional and nontraditional careers. Growing up, the two say college is the most important goal for them to pursue after high school, even if their passions don’t require a four-year degree. While Gari and Sharma plan to pursue college educations themselves, Sharma says they still saw a need for alternatives to be represented for students who want to take the next steps down a different path.
“I feel like as students, we are taught that we need to go to college and then try to get a well-paid job in something like medicine, business, or like computer science, and that that should be our only goal after high school,” Gari says. “But there's so many different job opportunities, and whether they require college experience or not, that's not the point of a career. We want people to find their passion within the field of their choosing, want them to know that all of these options are available to them, because that’s how newer generations like us can discover how we are able to change the world.”
The career summit is held with Carroll ISD students in mind, but it's open to all local students and adults who can take advantage of its network. By seeing all that the event has been able to offer to Southlake’s community in just two years, Gari hopes other local school districts, businesses and job hunters of all ages can become involved in the Career Connection Summit and help expand its influence.
“Jani and I were in the library printing flyers for the summit the other day and we met two adults who were searching for jobs on Indeed.com,” Gari says. “They were amazed we were having a career fair so close to them and thanked us for sharing the information. It was like the universe was connecting us; it felt really good, because that’s why this event is so important. We’re hoping people see that and that it speaks to everyone of all ages looking to start their new futures.”
After holding her second Career Connection Summit, Gari’s main focus will shift toward her graduation from Carroll Senior High School this May. While she is not yet committed, she has her head set on Babson College, a top-ranking U.S. school for entrepreneurship in Massachusetts, where she hopes to further fuel her passion and curiosity for business. Gari looks forward to Sharma, a soon-to-be-senior, leading next year’s summit with the same full force attitude they’ve shared over the years.
Sharma says with most of the 2024 summit work behind her, she’s now thinking about senior year almost everyday. On top of looking forward to new classes and her off block period, Sharma is already excited for what is to come from next year’s Career Connection Summit and the impact it will make.
“It’s just nice to know that I’ve had Gari, the foundation and so many other people’s full support, and that we can continue to help so many new people going into the next year,” Sharma says. “Our generation, Gen Z, have grown up to be so creative and optimistic, and it’s exciting to see what opportunities we’ll be able to have. I’m excited to show students and other companies what we will all be able to go out and do.”
