Escondido students spend a day in the working world

By: DANIEL ELY - For the North County Times
High school junior looks into business association | Thursday, February 7, 2008 10:04 PM PST ∞

Nerissa Cutten, 17, a junior at Classical Academy High School, spent much of Thursday with Debra Rosen, chief executive officer of the Escondido Downtown Business Association. Nearly 200 Escondido high school students learned about the business world by shadowing city workers, business owners and others.
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ESCONDIDO ---- The Downtown Business Association of Escondido had an unusual guest at the boardroom table Thursday morning.

Nerissa Cutten, a junior from Classical Academy High School, took a seat next to her mentor for the day, watching as plans for the association's upcoming Fashion Week were discussed.

Cutten was participating in Job Shadow Day, an event conducted by Escondido Education COMPACT and the Escondido Union High School District. For the last 12 years, the program has invited students to learn more about careers that interest them by exposing them to professional settings. In all, 177 students from Escondido high schools spent the day in the workplace.

"I'm big on making a difference in the world," said Cutten, who chose to shadow Downtown Business Association Chief Executive Officer Debra Rosen to learn more about the administrative side of nonprofit organizations.

"These are our future leaders," said Rosen. "I think every adult should take responsibility for training them."

Cutten got an active sample of the association's business. After a meeting, board members investigated the complaints of Escondido business owners, such as deep potholes and cracked asphalt in an alley, a sidewalk that was only partially clean, and a dangerous hole next to another sidewalk. Following a quick call to City Hall, each trouble spot was put on the city's to-do list.

"For little things like that, people call me because they don't know who to call," said Rosen.

Sitting around a table with two downtown merchants provided the biggest test of the day for Cutten. Both businessmen were looking for ways to reach potential customers, because their advertising methods weren't working. Rosen encouraged her apprentice to offer suggestions and frequently asked for her opinion.

"It wasn't just sitting there, overhearing meetings," Cutten said, "You really get to see what it's like to be in someone's shoes when they do that job.

"It's definitely got me to see how businesses are run. I feel like I know Escondido a little better."

This wasn't a coincidence, according to Patty Huerta, executive director of Escondido Education COMPACT. Getting young people acquainted with Escondido-based businesses is all the primary goal of Job Shadow Day.

"We want to have kids see an interest in those careers, go off to college, and then come back," said Huerta, who encouraged students to write thank-you cards to the 47 businesses that invited students to spend the day with them.

"It's a lot of fun, and a lot of logistics," she said.

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