EXP Helps High School Students Find New Pathways for Career Success

The nonprofit group EXP-The Opportunity Engine held its GPS Your Future event at CSUDH on Nov. 7, bringing to campus more than 450 juniors and seniors from 15 Los Angeles and Orange County high schools to participate in its annual career discovery event.

Participants got a first-hand look at college life, the diverse range of career options available to them, and the opportunity to meet industry professionals during a networking lunch and Shark Tank-style "entrepreneur experience."

Founded in 1999, EXP bridges the gap between education and industry to better prepare them for college, work, and life success through innovative career readiness programs, says EXP's CEO Mary Tran.

"These high school students might not be aware of the different opportunities they have right here in their own communities, and particularly at CSUDH, which offers a broad range of higher education opportunities that tie into high paying jobs," says Tran.

"We want them to understand that there are resources and support right here that will help guide them to a career path."

Tran adds that students face overwhelming economic constraints in the state of California, where they will need an annual salary of upwards of $170,000 to even consider buying a home. "Ensuring that they are aware of those kinds of jobs is really important for their future success."

Rubiee, a sophomore from Carson High School, says that's brought her to this year's event. "I wanted to know more about what good careers might be available to me when I start college," she says.

"I've thought about a lot of things-law enforcement or mental health, culinary school-but I don't really know yet what I want to do."

Rubiee and hundreds of her fellow high school students also dabbled in entrepreneurship during sessions aimed at challenging them to create a business name and logo, develop a product, and produce a social media video post to introduce it-all using free AI tools on their mobile phones.

David Ochi is Executive Director of CSUDH's Innovation Incubator, a program that helps student start-ups and main street businesses in the South Bay achieve and accelerate their goals through mentorship, informal programming, and other value-added services.Ochi served as an advisor and industry expert for the entrepreneur experience sessions.

The Innovation Incubator, he says, not just provides support for student and community start-ups. It also helps students finish their degrees without the crushing weight of student loan debt.

"This current generation of students is highly entrepreneurial, and the market is moving faster than ever," says Ochi. "But entrepreneurship isn't just about starting a business. It's a mindset and skillset that empowers individuals to transform their lives the communities in which they live."

Christine Pina, a Management Analyst and Education Programs Coordinator at the Port of Los Angeles, is a fixture each year for the career expo portion of the GPS event. She's also a proud Toro, having earned a B.S. in Public Administration in 2016.

Pina, an EXP program alum, has worked at the port for more than two decades. She got her start as a student intern from Banning High School and now works closely with EXP to help students find potential pathways to career success.

"We want students to know that there's a lot more to the Port of Los Angeles than longshore work," she says.

As Pina explained to clusters of interested students visiting the exhibition booth, the Port of Los Angeles has a surprisingly diverse range of possible careers in law, engineering, construction, media relations, environmental science, cybersecurity, finance, risk management, accounting, and many more.

The recent subject of an EXP alumna profile, Pina has become a dedicated spokesperson for the nonprofit and its efforts to educate students about the full range of career possibilities available to them.

"Because of EXP, I saw that there was a chance to make my life what I wanted it to be rather than the struggle that I witnessed with most of my family experience," said Pina in the profile article.

"It's an honor and my pleasure that now I can give that same chance to help influence the coming generations."

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