By Dalia Darweesh
More than 400 students participated in the annual Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools (SAES) career day.
This year, the career day for Grades 8 and 9 was held virtually across the community due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sixteen professionals were invited to speak about their journeys in different fields, including architecture, entrepreneurship, and geosciences.
The main objective of the day was not only to inform students about their career futures, but also to introduce them to the journeys that the speakers took to reach Aramco as everyone in the company has a different story.
Inspirational stories
Doug C. Scotchburn, counselor at Dhahran Middle School, said, “We are
so blessed at Aramco to have so many great professionals working here that are willing to come in to speak to our kids.”
Career day carries an inspiring message for the students — that if they dream big and work hard, anything is possible.
“In the past, smaller schools in communities like Udhailiyah have not been able to run an event like this,” Scotchburn said. “After speaking with my counseling colleagues across the district we saw that it gave us a unique opportunity to involve all the students in our SAES schools.”
Preparations for the virtual career day have taken a lot of dedication, hard work, and coordination for it to come to life.
Speakers included James E. Reed, senior helicopter training captain from the Aviation Department, Erik R. Melver from Dhahran Middle School Theater Arts, and Anthony G. Morcos, an engineer with the Facilities Planning Department.
Diversity and inclusion
“When you have an event such as this one, you want to have a diverse group. This also aligns with Aramco’s diversity
and inclusion strategy,” said Jeannine K. Devlin, counselor at Dhahran Junior High School.
“We are lucky to have such amazing women coming in, and inspiring our students,” she said. Abeer O. Aljabr, an engineer with the Fire Protection Department and one of the first female firefighters in Saudi Arabia, spoke about her passion that led her to achieve her dream of becoming a firefighter.
Another inspiring female was Emi O’Connor, a successful entrepreneur who started her own business in the United Kingdom. Other female speakers included a doctor, a nurse, and a teacher.
Career day opens up doors for students in terms of perspective. They can learn about many different fields and know that they have options. It also sends the message that if you’ve got a dream, you can achieve it.