Princess Margaret Secondary School’s career event a resounding success

Princess Margaret SecondaryON Wednesday, February 12, over 1,200 students at Princess Margaret Secondary School took part in a career event: “Princess Margaret School’s Ignite 2014 … Inspiration Starts Here!”

Princess Margaret Secondary, in partnership with the Surrey School District’s Safe School Department and the Association of South Asian Professionals of British Columbia (ASAP) came together to put on this inaugural event.

Over 40 presenters from various professions facilitated 45 panel sessions for students of grades 10 to 12. All students gathered in the gym for keynote speaker speeches by Aanikh Kler, Sam Ajit Thiara and Dr. Surinder Janda.

Aanikh Kler is a 15- year-old entrepreneur from Vancouver who launched the smart phone app and social enterprise UndrtheRadr. He was featured on CBC’s Dragon’s Den and recently spoke to 800 students on WE day. “Being able to speak to my peer group at Princess Margaret Secondary School is a privilege and an honour. I hope they take away something that will inspire them to create change in their lives,” said Aanikh.

After listening to the keynote speakers, students attended three different panel sessions of their choice. The panel session was 30 minutes in length on topics / careers. Panelists from a variety of career backgrounds took part including: medicine, law enforcement, social services, business, media and education.

Students were able to engage with these professionals who come from a range of career fields. They were encouraged to explore some sessions with presenters from fields that might not necessarily be their chosen path at this time.

Princess Margaret Secondary School Principal Neder Dhillon stated: “We were proud to have been approached to be a part of this opportunity for our students to learn from professionals. The day certainly proved to be even beyond what we had hoped in terms of providing learning experiences for our students. This day came together through significant effort on the part of Harvey Kooner (Association of South Asian Professionals of BC), Jeff Randhawa (Surrey Safe Schools) and the staff of Princess Margaret’s Career Education Department, Sandra Hogg, Ann Choe and Cathy Hughes.”

“It was an engaging day and it was great seeing the enthusiasm of the presenters. Most importantly, the students found it to be a valuable experience to learn about a variety of career choices,” said Jeff Randhawa of the district’s Safe School Department.

“Ignite 2014 was a wonderful opportunity for students to explore and learn about potential career paths from professionals in the community sharing their career experiences first hand. ASAP looks forward to continuing with its mandate to promote the professions and to have its members act as role models and mentors to youth,” said Jindy Bhalla, President of ASAP.”

The event proved that when you have some motivated people in the community working together your achievements are limited only by your imagination. If you are looking to give back and would like to be involved in this type of event in the future contact: Harvey Kooner, Association of South Asian Professionals of BC at hkooner@shaw.ca.