Career Connections
Career Connections are exciting interactive virtual discussions with individuals in selected professions. Each Career Connection is designed with middle and high school students in mind, giving them opportunities to learn firsthand the skills and education needed for successful career paths. See below for links to a sample career exploration project and keep scrolling for our video library of previously conducted career connections!
Sample Career Exploration Project Links
Exploring Careers Using Career Connections: Teachers' Guide
Exploring Careers Using Career Connections: Student Employment Journey and Reflection Materials
2024-2025 Career Connection Recordings
2023-2024 Career Connection Recordings!
2022-2023 Career Connection Recordings!

Careers in the NFL
Presenter: Jerry Csaki
Company: Pro-Football Hall of Fame
This program examines the importance of education and the hundreds of careers available in and around the National Football League. A 10-minute career video, which examines a wide variety of careers with the San Francisco 49ers organization, is shown during this session. The 50-minute program, which is designed to be highly interactive, is supplemented by a lesson aligned with Common Core/National Standards of Education.
Personal Chef
Presenter: Lori Eaton
Company: Eaton at Home
Renowned Chef Lori owns and operates Eaton at Home, a personal chef service. Lori is a certified health and nutrition coach, who has more than 15 years of professional chef experience. When she's not cooking and preparing delicious meals, she offers speaking engagements on health, wellness, and nutrition.
Nursing
Presenter: Dr. Anne Derouin
Company: Duke University
Dr. Anne Derouin (“Der win”) has been a practicing nurse for more than 35 years. Known as Dr. D at the Duke University School of Nursing, she is currently the Assistant Dean of the Graduate nursing program and leads a Pediatric specialty program at Duke. She also teaches at the School of Medicine and has spoken at international, national and regional conferences on various adolescent, pediatric and leadership topics as an expert nurse practitioner. As a healthcare provider, educator, advocate, parent and community volunteer, she has mentored many young students to become nursing professionals and looks forward to talking with you and answering any questions you may have about becoming an R.N. Dr. Derouin received her RN degree from the University of Michigan. Her graduate degrees were completed at Duke University School of Nursing. She is married with two daughters in college and is a passionate “Blue Devil” fan.
Chamber of Commerce President
Presenter: Meme Yanetsko
Company: Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce
Meme Yanetsko is the Chief Operating Officer from the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce. Meme has been with the GOACC since 1991 and has a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing. Meme oversees all operations and staff at the Chamber, administers state funded job training programs, manages the Chamber's website and other social media accounts, and coordinates all of the Chamber public events.
Blue Man Group
Presenter: Mark Frankel
Company: Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group performances are a celebration of human connection. Mixing art, music, comedy and state-of-the-art technology, the show encourages audiences to reconnect with their inner (and outer) child and see the world through a new perspective. Three bald and blue men explore our cultural norms with wide-eyed wonder, poking fun at our collective quirks and reminding us how much we all have in common. Blue Man Group is continually refreshed with new music, fresh stories and custom instruments. It’s a joyful, multi-sensory experience that has performed in over 20 countries and has captivated more than 35 million people of all ages and cultures worldwide.
Realty
Presenters: Todd and Ciji VanDyke
Company: VanDyke Agency
Owners Todd and Ciji VanDyke, of the VanDyke Agency will discuss how to be come a real estate agent, and how they started their own business. It's more than just selling houses, they are dream makers.
Electrical & Mechanical Engineering
Presenters: Al Daniels and Rob Pompo
Company: IPD Engineering
IPD Engineering was founded in 2009. Headquartered in Syracuse, New York, with a branch office in Buffalo, the firm is comprised of 30+ employees providing HVAC, Plumbing, Fire Protection, Electrical & Structural design services. IPD has completed hundreds of highly successful designs, across many industry sectors, for projects ranging in size of up to $75 million. Our people have an average of 15 years of experience and are highly skilled at what they do.
Society of Women Engineers
Presenters: Val Countryman
Company: IPD Engineering
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and be recognized for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders.
Radio Station Manager/DJ
Presenters: Joey Guisto
Company: IPD Engineering
Joey Guisto is a 1994 graduate of the SUNY Geneseo where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Communication, with a concentration in Radio Broadcast Management. While at Geneseo, Joey was active at the student radio station "WGSU," serving as Music Director his senior year. Also while at Geneseo, Joey was an intern and volunteer DJ at 90.5 FM WBER, the only station that matters, where he became Music Director / Assistant Program Director in January of 1995. Since 2001, Joey has been WBER's Station Manager and Program Director where his many daily responsibilities include 24 x 7 x 365 music programming, management of the volunteer DJ staff, promoting underwriting and fundraising, and coordinating student-run high school radio clubs. Joey is most passionate about fulfilling the station's mission to give true-to-life radio experience to students in the Media Production program at Monroe #1 BOCES.
Social Justice: A Discussion with Lawyers
Presenters: Ruth Corrington-Rivas and
Karen Varriale
While formal definitions for social justice vary in wording, there are commonalities among them.
Equal rights
Equal opportunity
Equal treatment
"With these core values in mind, we can define the phrase as such: Social justice means equal rights and equitable opportunities for all. "
-The San Diego Foundation
Please join us as we connect legal professionals (a public defender and an assistant district attorney) - two legal minds on opposite sides of the same coin - for a discussion on social justice and the law.