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I enjoyed seeing the inner workings of Optum. It was interesting to learn about different career pathways in the company. It was also interesting to see the global impact of the company. Liz provided us with excellent information about soft skills students will need, and provided a glimpse into the corporate world.

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I loved my job shadow experience with Mark at Allianz. I met with him virtually and at first was wondering how it would work. He was so organized, with a nice slide show. I was still able to see pictures and learn about all the benefits that the corporate world has to offer.

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Job Shadow - Michelle Neuer with Anh Thapa

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Job Shadow - Michelle Neuer with Anh Thapa

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Anh Thapa is a project manager at H.B. Fuller.  H.B. Fuller is a global company that makes adhesives, and is head-quarter in St.Paul. Anh shared that the company is very community focused and has many opportunities for volunteering and helping others.
Anh is able to work at home with people from around the world and a typical day starts at 6:00 a.m. with many meetings, phone calls and emails.
Important career and technical skills we discussed are problem solving, conflict resolving, listening and communication skills. Students should focus on developing confidence and be willing to ask questions and be a life long learner.
Anh feels the company will hire students with a two or four year degree, and intern-ships or related experiences are helpful. Finally, developing good communication skills, flexibility and transparency are valuable traits the company looks for in their employees.
This was a great experience that will be valuable information to pass along to my students.
Thank you Anh.
Michelle Neuer

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I had an amazing visit for my job shadow. I went to Northstar to learn more about Financial Investment / Advisors and how the tech they use is consistently adapting. Financial Advisors within the company are responsible for finding their own clients, using tech sourcing to find them the best insurance plans that work for them, then proceed to use a company created app to provide 40 year projections for their current financial plans. I learned a ton personally, and I had some wonderful insight as to how students can best prep for a job that could be in this field.

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Noelle and I completed a job shadow at Northeastern Bank of Minneapolis.  She teaches high school language arts and I teach 4th grade.  Our first our was spent together with Sue LaCue from HR.  She explained some of the jobs and functions at the bank.  She also discussed what skills she looks for when hiring employees.

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Noelle and I completed a job shadow at Northeastern Bank of Minneapolis.  She teaches high school language arts and I teach 4th grade.  Our first our was spent together with Sue LaCue from HR.  She explained some of the jobs and functions at the bank.  She also discussed what skills she looks for when hiring employees.

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The second part of the meeting was an individual job shadow with the CFO, Chris. He was very nice and took time to explain his responsibilities to me. It is beneficial to see what skills other jobs may need, and it was a great reminder that we all have our own interests and I could not be a CFO.

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I had a wonderful time with Tammie Follett, the Director of Community Relations yesterday. It was good to learn about Thomson Reuters, how they treat their employees, different careers within one company, and different organizations and opportunities that the employees support or run.

It was beneficial to me as a special education teacher to hear about some of the different job opportunities within the company, and some of the qualifications necessary for those jobs, in order to bring the information back to my students. It was also nice to see the building and all the amazing opportunities for staff there because I can share that with my students, as well.

I learned about some organizations and things that the company or people in the company sponsor or work at that would be beneficial to my students--things like Spark-y and Just the Beginning. I will be in contact with Tammie again about some of these opportunities for my students.

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Katie and I had a great experience with Ashley from Optum. The campus was beautiful to see and can be a great motivating tool for students who wonder what life could look like after high school.

We got some good insight into what Optum looks for in its employees and how we can help shape our current students to be better prepared for the business world. It was interesting to hear the shift in workplace culture as a result of the pandemic, position changes, and leadership changes.

It was interesting to hear the opportunities that Optum has as far as internships for people with disabilities, job opportunities for those choosing not to pursue college, and the career growth opportunity for long-term employees of Optum.

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H.B Fuller Job Shadow:
I discovered more about glue and how many people "need" it. It was a great experience to visit and tour with my business partner. He started with a criminal justice degree and found his way to accounts manager for the third largest glue manufacturer in the world. Soft skills, people skills, and goals helped him with his success. One of his main messages was that diversity in the job makes a more successful team. Communication and being able to adapt to a variety of personalities help him daily.

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Connecting with Maria in NEW YORK was very exciting! She was so kind, energetic, and welcoming. She was able to share many resources with me specifically about accessibility for employees and customers. My take away was the benefits and good things that UHG/UHC is working on! The initiatives that they are using to support families with special needs is amazing!

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I had a great afternoon for my Job Shadow at Piper Sandler, an investment banking company. I was matched with Best Prep Business Partner, Rich Walker who works in Enterprise Computing. His role impacts many in his company as he manages technology needs across his firm (ie: zoom, conference room presentation tech, mobile devices, etc.). The start of our discussion was guided by the Best Prep Job Shadow Discussion Guide however, this guide sheet greatly served as a launching pad to discuss more in depth conversations about the company, his role, K-12 education, skills needed for employment, skills needed for high school students to be successful for future employment (ie: communication skills-writing and speaking; problem solving, analyzing data, higher order thinking skills. Our chat was 2+ hours of engaged discussion. I learned a lot and will have a wealth to share with students! I thoroughly enjoyed this great experience!

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It was a great experience.  I went to Piper.  I met with Noah.  He told me about what he does on a daily basis.  It was interesting to compare the business world to the education world.
In the business world they work a lot in groups and you need to know how to communicate with others. I believe we teach students to work in groups. I am leading social skills groups this school year.

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I really enjoyed my job shadow experience with Mark from Allianz. It was so interesting to hear about all of the things/benefits that the corporate world offers. They have so many opportunities available for all skill levels. Mark was very informative and full of knowledge and passion for his company, which made it even better. Just loved this experience!

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I really enjoyed myself meeting with Thomas from Thompson Reuters in the Technology Content Operations.  He taught me the importance of how critical his position and team have a vital importance to information that is used daily.  The things he is looking for in moving positions in the company and how everyone is treated his future goals, Thomas wants to return back to his country and start his own company.  He gave me good inspiration to be able to help better prepare students on how to prepare for jobs and what employers are looking for and needs.

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Samantha was my business partner at Thomson Reuters. I learned so much about what TR does, what she does for TR and what she thinks are the skills that students will need coming into the work world in the near future. Some things she shared is that college is not necessary to be successful. Communication skills are much more important; both written and oral. She also shared that confidence in one's abilities are super important to cultivate in our students today so that they can do anything they set their mind to.

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Touring Northeast Bank with Sue and Dusten was a dream. It was so wonderful to be welcomed into their space and engage in discussions around current issues and topics in education and how they connect to the learning and task work I'm doing in my classroom. I received some meaningful anecdotes to take to my students and some examples of workplace writing. I curated some good connections and hope to continue this relationship after BP 2023 concludes.

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I enjoyed going to Thompson and Reuter.
I understand now what the company does. My partner explained to me about what kind of skills they are looking for in future candidates.

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Great experience, amazing facility!
I did my shadow at Thomson Reuter and my Coach Scott was very personable, although the connection of relevance was not strong because I'm at the elementary level the knowledge of his job was great.

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This was amazing experience! I learned so many things and I am grateful for this experience. Breanna was kind and knowledgeable as she shared her experience working at Thomson Reuters. She taught me many valuable things that I will bring back to my students about her work place journey and what a typical day looks like in her position. In addition to her high level job, she discussed the many entry level positions that students might be interested in well as they are getting started should they choose not to go to college right away.

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I was at Thomson Reuters with Charles Bradley. The Thomson Reuters staff was so great with us. They gave us history and background of what the company does then took us on a tour. Charles was great explaining to me what he does within the company. I am so impressed. There is lots of technology and processes related to what he does. My head is filled with all of the information. A side benefit is that Charles graduated from the high school where I teach and knows some of the same people I know. He will be a great resource for us. I just wish we had a longer time together.

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Price Waterhouse was very impressive! The difference between the business world and education is vast. The information about what employees need to know and use for technology will help us shape our teaching. Having specific real world examples will help the students realize the importance of what we're doing.

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I had a virtual job shadow meeting with Anh Thapa from H.B. Fuller. Anh works in the IT department with the company, and specifically handles all human resources information.
Anh shared that H.B. Fuller is a global company that makes adhesives, with head-quarters are in St. Paul. Anh feels that the company is community focused, with many opportunities for volunteering and helping others.
Anh has a computer science degree, and primarily manages teams and projects. Anh feels that important career skills students should work on are problem solving, listening, and communication skills.
Anh also shared that it's important for students to participate in as many clubs and activities as they can in school to get well-rounded experiences they can add to a resume. Finally, Anh feels that one of the most important qualities that the company looks for is confidence, honesty and integrity.

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The job shadow was a great experience! Unfortunately mine had to switch to virtual due to an injury (non-workplace related), but we had a great MS Teams session. Lots of similarities existed between the morning panel and things my job shadow person stated as well!

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I learned a lot about accounting careers and what the steps are to get into that field. I also noticed that there is some coding involved which I think would make the career much more interesting for some of my students who are interested in coding but do not want to go into a computer science field.

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Great Connection with UnitedHealthcare job partner - Melissa Stevens

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Great Connection with UnitedHealthcare job partner - Melissa Stevens

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Yesterday, I met with Melissa Stevens, project manager at United Healthcare. She leads a call team supporting clients on their healthcare needs. We talked about the training component for new hires, it is 11 weeks long! Also, a point that was reverberated in the "panel" discussion on Tuesday August 1st, that "soft skills" are just as important, if not more so, then "hard skills". Clearly, students are exceptional and just about everything they do, but it does take a level of maturity to navigate the expectations of work/professional environments that students need to show, seamlessly. In conclusion, I learned, talking with Mrs. Stevens, they hire few students right out of high school and the average age of their hires are older, perhaps mid-late 20's.

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It was a great experience meeting my job shadow partner at Thomson Reuters. Adam is a very knowledgeable individual in his current role. Before starting working for TR, he was a journalist. He helps him to have all the essential skills needed to be efficient and successful in his current job. I've had the pleasure of learning about TR's history and have been impressed by what they've done with publishing and what they've done to build relationships with the community.

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I genuinely enjoyed my experience at Allianz. It was great to hear about their programs dedicated to employing adults with disabilities. I am hoping to continue our partnership as the school year begins.

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This is such an outstanding part of the TIW! What an opportunity for teachers to see what the "real world" is like and why we do what we do. It's amazing to me how flexible and complex the corporate world is. I appreciated the chance to see what my students' work lives may be like in the future and how I can inspire or encourage those who are interested in that type of work in the future. Thanks for the opportunity!

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I really enjoyed meeting with the business partners and seeing what they do at PwC. They said a lot of the same things that we learned about through our panel discussion, so it was nice to hear the same things again. The company was great and the people were awesome to learn from!

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PwC job shadow was a great experience. It really opened my eyes to the business side of the world.

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First I am blown away at the collaboration and support that PwC shows to their employees. Interesting we covered the questions in just conversation before even looking at the suggested one. I loved learning skills and what is happening in the business world. I look forward to continuing building the relationship, I have made with Joe to my students through Zoom

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I had a great time with Ashley from Optum. Joe and I were able to ask a lot of questions, get a tour of the building, and learn more about their business. Ashley let us know that their company has opportunities for students to get jobs without a traditional 4 year degree. She said many of the job descriptions were eliminating that requirement, which opens up the ability for students to obtain great jobs without committing to 4 years of college.

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Amy Sheppeck Job Shadow at Piper Sandler Companies

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Amy Sheppeck Job Shadow at Piper Sandler Companies

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Great experience yesterday at my job shadow with Sarah Vandenberg of Piper Sandler Companies! It was so much fun seeing how tools I used as a Technology Analyst are meeting the challenges of today and growing to meet the needs of tomorrow. I stopped trying to hack on the MAC SPPS gave me and am feeling much better about loving my PC! I guess 30+ years is a tough habit to break.

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PwC job shadow. I had a great time meeting with Chris and hearing about his role in the company. We discussed his educational background and how he came into this position. I was very impressed with their work environment and their flexibility.

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PwC job shadow
It was wonderful to meet with Mike from PwC and discuss his role in the company. We also talked about all of the skills employees need to come into the workforce with. Many of the skills aligned closely with what was discussed in the workforce panel. He also talked about how it is important to keep up with the ever changing technology. He also talked about how important it was to create, read and track data in the spreadsheets.

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Exploring PCW and admiring the building was an enjoyable and awe-inspiring experience. The ambiance of the workplace was delightful and I believe that it would be enticing for children to work in such a setting if given the opportunity. During the job shadow, I had an insightful conversation with my counterpart about education and her journey to her current position. She provided me with valuable perspective on what it's like for someone of the opposite gender to work in a male-dominated field. Her insights were impressive, and I gained valuable information on how to enhance my teaching methods and design meaningful assignments for my students.

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It was wonderful to talk with Megan from Naviguard (United Health Care). We covered many topics. The big thing I realized is that employers are looking Microsoft software and schools are using Google. I feel we need to get students working on Excel during K-12.

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We had a great conversation about remote work and how that will impact the next generation of employers. It was encouraging to see some of the same things discussed in the job panel that she also discussed as necessary skills for success in the work force.

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I could have spent a couple more hours just meeting and chatting with people in all of the different areas.  My job shadow was with Allison who is a former educator (there were MANY former teachers) and she is now involved in the training and education of employees at Allianz.

She shared that she would like to see some work done in high school on how to take feedback.  I thought that was very interesting!  I teach how to give it in my management class, but barely discuss receiving feedback.  Interesting.  It was a great experience

I spent a lot of time with her intern, Selena.  If even half of her generation is as talented and smart as her, we are in good hands.

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Anvita and I had a wonderful chat about what her daily job entails and what technology they use. However, more than that I was given a clear picture of the kind of individual United Group wants to hire. This visit gives me a lot of talking points I can bring back to my students in terms of answering the "why" when they ask me why we are doing what we are doing. It's clear that what the work force is looking for are students that know how to learn, know how to be empathetic, understand how to ask questions but above all, provide effort. I hope I can communicate this to my students so they understand how the work they do today will directly effect their future prospects.

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Optum job shadow.
It was very interesting to hear about the company and its relationship to UH group and the UHR group. It was great to hear about the problem solving, team building, communication, learning from each other, having courage, and not afraid to make mistakes, brainstorming, and analysis of data which are important for students to have experience in preparation for the workplace.

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Such a great visit. Reinforced that we are doing a lot of things really well. Great to hear what these employees wish they would have had been better prepared by their high school experience. It's a cool workforce out there that our students need to be so excited to enter. The opportunities are vast and diverse and everyone can find a niche somewhere!