Mary Theresa Killion of Liguori Academy pairs a whole-class Career Spotlight with student project work using Career Profiles — so students first see workplace skills in action, then apply them and reflect.

“Sometimes I run an activity that I call a ‘Career Spotlight’ in which we as a class choose a career to view. We watch the video entry and the students share about which of the pillars of our workforce program they see the person in the video executing. The pillars of our program are: communication, honesty, professionalism, teamwork, time management. The professionals featured in the videos always embody our program pillars in great ways and the students have great conversations based on the video content.

We also use the career profiles for student project work. Students will choose a career that is of interest to them and use the information in the career profile to reflect on what draws them to that career and what setbacks there might be. They complete the career journals and share their findings.”

Why it works

The Spotlight builds a shared lens for evidence; the project work turns that lens into cited reflections and concrete next steps.

How to try it

• Run a weekly Career Spotlight: pick a Career Profile, watch the video, and have students name where the five pillars show up (capture one or two concrete examples).
• Assign student project work: each student selects a Career Profile and completes a Career Journal on what attracts them to the role and possible setbacks — citing details from the profile.
• Prime with the assessment trio (Interest, Work Values, Personality) and ask students to reference one result in their reflection.
• Close with a brief share-out: one pillar example and one next step (info interview, job shadow, a skill to build).

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Sam Spiegel

Sam Spiegel is a Growth Marketing Specialist for Pathful and a BCLAD-certified educator with a Master's in Education from the University of California, Santa Cruz. As a former elementary school teacher, Sam is now a dedicated and results-oriented EdTech specialist, enjoying the intersection of his passion for education and technology.