School 2 Career resumes with virtual programming to meet our times

By: Maura McCampbell, Marketing and Community Programs Coordinator

School 2 Career, a program that teaches high school youth from Pittsburgh’s underserved communities vital skills for personal and professional advancement, celebrates its 25th anniversary this September. Unsurprisingly, things will look a bit different this year.

In response to the health and safety threats posed by COVID-19, S2C has moved to an all-virtual programming format.

The program recently kicked off with a virtual orientation that introduced students to job development skills that will prepare them for professional work, followed by career and abilities assessments.

Subject-specific tutoring will continue remotely throughout the year, as will the virtual version of the popular Friday Speaker Series. The September 25 guest is William Jones, founder of the Afrofuturism Network, who will be zooming in from Washington, D.C.

Instead of in-person career-specific placements that students typically partner with throughout the year, School 2 Career has developed a robust curriculum that facilitates at home skill-building, online interviewing, virtual learning, and successfully working from home. This year’s programing lineup also includes entrepreneurial workshops and coding seminars with the University of Pittsburgh. While there are no in-person placements, students will continue to receive a stipend for their participation in these opportunities.

The format of this year’s program has changed, but the fundamental mission is unwavering.

For 25 years, School 2 Career has equipped students with the skills they need to be problem solvers in the workplace. Central to this is a professional literacy in virtues such as dependability, accountability, and responsibility, all of which position the program’s graduates with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the unexpected.

As for the program itself, S2C’s quarter-century of evolution has centered around changing to meet the needs of the communities we are serving. This year is no different.

Interested in participating in School 2 Career? You’re in luck – the program is still accepting applications for this year! Visit www.opdc.org/school2career or contact School 2 Career’s Program Director, Karla Stallworth, at kstallworth@s2c.org or 412.345.1536 to learn more and apply.

Catching Up with...DaVonn Brown - S2C Class of 2015

by Kathleen Radock, Communications and Development Manager

Photo credit: Ken Stewart

With many School to Career students spending their full four years of high school with us, we love to check in with them to see where they’ve landed, post-graduation.

We recently caught up with DaVonn Brown, who graciously took the time to reflect back on his time with S2C and offer advice to current and future students.

A 2015 S2C grad and 2019 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, DaVonn resides in his hometown, Lawrenceville. He started School to Career in the summer before 9th grade.

What are your memories of your time attending School to Career?

I loved my time with School to Career! I remember hours spent talking with Mrs. Karla, Ms. Bea, and Ms. Lavel about various topics. They truly cared for their students and that is something that is unforgettable about S2C. I remember spending hours at the various placements I received. My fondest memory of placement was my time spent at Pittsburgh Community Television 21 (PCTV21). I have always been interested in TV, theater, entertainment, and the way that people consume visual and performative art. Not only that, but the team there is great, and everybody has a lot of fun while getting the job done. 

I can say the same thing about S2C! There was never a dull moment. I love knowledge so I rarely get bored when learning, even back then as a high schooler. I gained a lot of incredible memories, and experiences, from the people I met through this program.

Honestly, I feel blessed to have been able to garner so much experience and opportunity as a mere high school student! In college, I met many people that had yet to write a professional resume. I remember one of the very first things I did as an S2C student was learning to write a resume, I had started the program late, but Mrs. Karla was kind enough to work with me and the first day I started Ms. Lavel was leading a course on resume writing, which has helped my professional life invaluably over the years. 

What was your favorite S2C activity?

I enjoyed all of my time with S2C. I would say that the job placements were my favorite activity. When working at PCTV I was able to talk with community members and work with them to achieve their vision, get their message out, or help them truly express themselves through the medium of television. It's a great feeling to bring people's dreams to life. While working at PCTV I helped set up lighting on set, managed the audio levels, worked the cameras, and some minor video editing. I would love to one day be involved in a large scale "AAA Film" production, or just something that exciting!

Thanks to S2C, I was able to explore this part of myself and realize that television/film production was a true interest of mine. I will say that I also loved being able to earn various Microsoft certifications under Ms. Lavel's tutelage. This also goes into why I enjoyed job placements so much; S2C offered me a way to gain valuable, life-changing experiences that give students tangible skills in the real world, and useful credentials on paper. I would not be who I am today without this program - I love everything about my time there!

Tell us about your current job…

I am proud to say that I am currently working as the Legislative Assistant for the City of Pittsburgh’s 8th City Council District. In this role, I help residents solve issues they are having that impact their daily lives. For example, I have provided assistance to constituents suffering from identity theft, loud neighbors, and even pesky rodent infestations to name a few.

I also work on both compiling research/evidence for legislation, and drafting said legislation as well as other official documentation. I help to share important information on social media, monitor constituent requests that may appear on various platforms, manage our website, attend community meetings, and travel to parts of the district to meet in-person with residents to provide assistance.

It is an honor to serve the people of this city. I am humbled, blessed, and overjoyed to work for the people of the City of Pittsburgh, my city, my people. I have always been driven to help people, and make our world better, so to be able to do this locally through my work is a great feeling!

How do you think S2C helped you with school and career?

S2C prepared me for the professional world. This goes hand in hand with schooling. If I ever needed help with any kind of school work, I could always depend on S2C's capable volunteers to work with me through anything. I think that's a very important resource for children -- knowing that someone is there to support you whether educationally or otherwise. S2C supported me educationally, financially, emotionally, and experientially - all of which helped shape me professionally.

Through the experiences, I gained from job placements like working at a TV station or a corporate risk management office, training to hone my online software skills, or working to deepen my understanding of the English language and sharpen my writing skills, I grew as a professional person. But I think equally important, if not greater, were the skills that Ms. Karla, Ms. Bea, and Ms. Lavel taught me about being a person.

When you enter any program as a young person there are all sorts of reservations, fantasies that you make up: "Oh this might be boring, the people may not be nice." Through all of my interactions with S2C staff, I experienced kindness, care, devotion, and love. They truly cared about all of us and on top of that provided us with opportunities that molded us as students and professionals. I think that whether dealing with one's career or one's schooling being a decent and caring person is as valuable if not more important than "professional development" as we think of it.

In reality, S2C's assistance with my school work, online certifications, job placements, and treating me like a loved and respected family member all helped me with my schooling, my career, and my development as both a professional and a human. S2C offers our youth opportunities to develop their character. That is truly invaluable!

What would be your top piece of advice to current students?

I urge all students to take their time with S2C seriously. Even if you don't think something is 100% relevant, please embrace your time with it as much as possible. You never know what will end up being a useful experience. Looking back on it just about everything I thought would not be useful has helped me even today! All experiences are valuable so treat your time at S2C with respect, eagerness, and excitement because I guarantee you that there is something wonderful that S2C can offer you that will make you ecstatic each time you enter the walls of S2C. I hope students genuinely look for the ways that S2C can help them achieve their goals. I know everyone at S2C is dedicated to turning dreams into reality; as a student you just have to open your ears, heart, and mind to receive the blessing that is S2C's many transformative offerings. 

S2C is a family. You will feel cared for and attended to, and will always have an advocate in your corner that wants what is best for you even more than you want it for yourself. I love S2C and will always feel a special place in my heart for S2C and all staff before and after my time with the program. If you want to better yourself, gain life changing experiences, and even better conversation with future lifelong friends, S2C is the afterschool program for you! 

To Parents - if you are wondering whether or not S2C is a place for your children, I'd like to say that it is THE place for your children. Not only will your future beacons of change earn great experiences, but they will also be able to earn a stipend to help them with their personal expenses. 

S2C will help make your world better so that you can make this world the most incredible planet it can be!

Thanks so much to DaVonn for the taking the time to talk with us, and for all of the thought and care he put into his answers. For more information on the School 2 Career program, click here.