Cougars Explore Careers

On Friday, October 17th, Charlotte Catholic hosted its second annual Career Exploration Program. This program offers students in their junior year the opportunity to act as an observer of professionals at work and an occasional assistant. 

The program, founded by Anne Runkle, a former Charlotte Catholic teacher, is designed to give students the opportunity to learn what is required in the specific career they are interested in. 

Students must apply to be a part of the program. Students are chosen in a lottery draft; however, there is a review process beforehand, in which applications are reviewed to find a final group of select individuals. Mrs. Runkle said, “I am going to sit down with Mr. Telford in his office and we will review all applications together to collectively decide which students will be chosen for the program.” 

Last year, the 2026 class expressed interest in 10 different career paths: marketing, business, finance, media, communications, healthcare design, architecture, engineering, and technology. 54 applications were submitted to the Career Exploration Program, but only 15 students were actually accepted into the program. The acceptance rate from last year was approximately 27%. 

However, there is no specific number of acceptances set for this year. Mrs. Runkle said, “No decision has been made on the number of students that will participate in the program from the Class of 2027. The size will ultimately depend on interest and resources.” This could mean that more students will be able to participate since the previous year was successful.

Students in Career Exploration Program (Credit: Charlotte Catholic High School)

Senior Nolan Winslow had the opportunity to shadow the Managing Director of Wealth Management at Choreo, a nationwide wealth management firm. He learned the valuable lessons of communication and collaboration in a workplace.

He mentioned his favorite part of his experience was how unique the opportunity was. He said, “I got to experience the financial world firsthand.” He highly recommends the program to any junior who wants to explore a field or major before having to decide in college. He said that his time with Choreo was a valuable experience.

Brendan O’Connell got to participate in an externship at ESPN, one of the most prominent sports broadcasting companies in the world. His host Ryan McGee told him, “Flexibility is required in order to succeed in the Sports Media industry.” Brendan also recommends that any junior interested in the Career Program should seize the opportunity. He said, “Mrs. Runkle was extremely helpful to me and gave me a very personal and unique experience.”

Mrs. Runkle is excited to see the success of this year’s program and hopes to continue this tradition of offering juniors a valuable work experience in future years.