The Ontario Take Our Kids to Work Day brought 45 ninth grade students to Queen’s on Wednesday, Nov. 1, for an opportunity to explore career options and learn more about their parents’ jobs.

In addition to shadowing a parent or guardian, students listened to a variety of staff members talk about their jobs, got advice on their future careers and how to leverage their volunteer experience, learned some valuable study tips, took a tour around campus with a scavenger hunt, had pizza in the Alumni Lounge, and played sports and games at the Athletics and Recreation Centre.

“We facilitate the program to help foster an interest in post-secondary education in the students,” says Marie Doherty, Director, Client Services and Organizational Development and Learning. “In planning for this event, our goal is to ensure students walk away from the day with something broader than only the job shadowing experience. We offer a mixture of activities throughout the day, including hands-on activities, physical exercise, and information to get them excited about post-secondary studies. It is also a great opportunity for employees to showcase what they do on a daily basis.”

Many departments collaborated to make the day a success, including Environmental Health and Safety, Athletics and Recreation, the Office of Advancement, Career Services and Human Resources.