Teens learn about careers firsthand through ‘Operation Shadow’
By Sharon Makokian
Acorn Staff Writer

CHUCK ROGERS/The Acorn KICK STARTING THEIR CAREERS--Agoura High School juniors Courtney Krajeski, left, and Katie McQuillan, along with Westlake High School student Ben Small, right, learn the art of plating elegant desserts from Hyatt Westlake Plaza's executive chef Bruce Jones. The trio spent half the day with Chef Jones and observed all of his kitchen activities. High schools throughout the U.S. staged a "Shadow Day" last Friday, giving students a firsthand look at following professionals in varied fields.

Punxsutawney Phil wasn’t the only one to see his shadow last Friday (Groundhog Day) as 60 students from Agoura High School joined a nationwide program in which they shadowed professionals to learn about their careers.

Actually, the national program sprung up only a few years ago, while the "Operation Shadow" program has existed at AHS for much longer, said Susan Cox, college and career advisor, who with the help of parents and the chair of a school district education committee, Pat Croner, contacted people in a wide variety of careers that students wanted to learn about. Careers ranged from physicians and lawyers to marine biologists and aerospace engineers.

Participants were limited to juniors and seniors. A school holiday was chosen to weed out the students who weren’t truly committed, Cox said.

The experience is very valuable, she said, because it gives the kids exposure to career realities.

"Some of the kids had romanticized ideas," she said, telling of one student who shadowed a company CEO and learned that most of his time was spent on the phone.

The program also provides students with good contacts and internship possibilities, Cox said. Some students took their resumes with them and several developed prospects.

"It’s the most fun program for me. It’s like putting together pieces of a puzzle—matching kids with interests to hosts that fit. When the kids have a wonderful time, it’s very satisfying," she said, adding that all of the students she visited on Friday seemed to be enjoying their experiences.

Thus was the case for the four students with whom The Acorn spoke.

Ari Averbach, a senior who wants to be a movie producer, shadowed Patrick Norris, the director of the television show "Roswell." He and two others visited the set on location in Covina, where they sat with the director in "the village"—the area where they watch the filming on two screens.

"I learned about the whole procedure of when you begin shooting … terms, etc.," he said, noting that the working environment was more casual then he’d expected.

"It was very laid back. (The director) was constantly working, but nobody seemed to be stressed," he said.

Averbach had the chance to be an extra in the show (and even got paid for it). He was thrilled because the director asked them to come to the studio soundstage in a few weeks and help them there.

Adriana Trenev, a junior who wants to become an entertainment broadcaster, chose to shadow sportscaster Kevin Frazier, an anchorman at Fox Sports News. She and a few others went to the Los Angeles studio, where they got the grand tour and a look at what goes on behind the scenes.

"We got to sit in the anchor’s chair. They showed us on (in-studio) camera. We got to do a broadcast," she said.

"I loved it. I thought it was so helpful," she said. "I learned how much a reporter has to know about a subject before going on the air."

Although they didn’t stay for Frazier’s broadcast (he was to air live at 9 p.m.), they did see another show being taped.

"I love it. It’s really my field," Trenev said. "You have to be able to express yourself. I would love to do it she said," motivated by her day in the field.

Courtney Krajeski, a junior, wants to be a chef and eventually own her own restaurant. She was one of 10 who went to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Westlake Village to learn about opportunities in the hospitality field. After an overall orientation, three of the students went to the kitchen.

"I’d never really seen the inside of the kitchen of a restaurant. This opened my eyes to the world within the world," she said.

The students cooked and served a gourmet meal for their peers, something Krajeski enjoyed.

"I learned that there are so many things you can do in hospitality and in the hotel industry," she said. "Once you become an executive chef, you really don’t do much of the cooking, but you plan the menus, purchase food and make sure that everybody has what they need to make a successful running restaurant."

She said her experience "helped me realize that this is something I can and really want to do. I had the greatest time ever." She also talked to a personnel representative about a summer job at the hotel.

Senior Jeff Kim, a hopeful future music producer and engineer, went with a few others to a recording studio in North Hollywood. Although there was nobody actually recording at the time, Kim and the others used the soundboard to "mix" recordings.

"I worked with the board to bring out the bass, guitar, voice, etc," he said. "You can made a bad song into a great song, using all the equipment."

Although he had done some recording in the past, he had never worked with a computer to record digitally, and hadn’t worked with professionals before, he said.

The experience whetted his appetite for his future career.