It’s a Wrap! Thanks to Everyone Who Helped with Cool Careers Season One
HirePaths has had a whirlwind of a year filming our Cool Careers series of videos to introduce kids in grades 4-8 to in-demand Kansas careers.
Now that we’ve finished filming our sixth episode (the season one finale), I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped turn this crazy idea into reality. To recap, season one includes:
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Episode 1: Cybersecurity Analyst
In Episode #1, Cool Careers Correspondent Ivan takes students on a tour of Foresite in Overland Park to learn about the high-demand, high-paying, very cool job of a cybersecurity analyst.
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Episode 2: Drone Pilot
In Episode #2, Cool Careers Correspondent Dallas takes students to visit Hamm Companies in Perry. We learn how drones help construction companies increase productivity and keep people safe. Plus, Dallas gets to fly the drone!
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Episode 3: Plumber
In Episode #3, Cool Careers Correspondent Dylan visits Tatro in Garden City to explore why plumbing is such a secure job, how fun it is to problem solve and fix things, and what it's like to be a woman working in this industry.
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Episode 4: Robotics and Automation Engineer
In Episode #4, Cool Careers Correspondent Deena visits Textron Aviation in Wichita to introduce students to robotics and automation careers. While on her tour, she gets to take a robot for a spin!
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Episode 5: Heavy Equipment Technician
In Episode #5, Cool Careers Correspondent Kara visits Foley Equipment's Wichita Service Center to learn about the career of a heavy equipment technician. She gets a hands-on look at what goes into repairing and maintaining construction vehicles like bulldozers and dump trucks, and how to start a career in this field.
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Episode 6: Electrical Process Engineer
In Episode #6, Cool Careers Correspondent Kieran visits Garmin in Olathe to learn about electrical process engineers. He learns how GPS helps power popular products, hears how Garmin employee Marajan got to this position and even visits the production floor!
And this series would be nowhere without our talented child hosts who worked so hard and were so willing to cheerfully do their lines “one more time,” as many times as I asked them to: Ivan, Dallas, Dylan, Deena, Kara and Kieran. Thank you for being a part of season one. We hope you had fun and learned a lot. I know we did!
But Wait…There’s More
None of this would have happened without ESSER II grant funds provided to us from the Kansas State Department of Education to help educate young people about technical and trade careers. We appreciate the trust and support of everyone at KSDE for believing in HirePaths and helping us expand our reach through Cool Careers videos and other projects. I’d like to especially thank Kansas State Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson, Deputy Commissioner Brad Neuenswander, Stacy Smith, Denise Kahler, Natalie Clark and Helen Swanson for all they’ve done to help us grow HirePaths into an influential, statewide initiative.
I’d like to give a big thank you to our entire team at New Boston Creative Group (especially Erin, Lane, Nick, Maike, Shawn, Stan and Addie) and the team at digitalBrand Communications (Eric, Lonnie, Alex, Dre, Naythan) for helping us produce these six videos. From lighting to shooting to editing, you made everyone look great!
And lastly, thanks to my New Boston Creative Group co-owner Lisa for editing these scripts so the language was age-appropriate and easy for anyone to understand. As always, your editing polishes my writing!
Check out our behind-the-scenes fun!
What’s Coming Up Next Season?
If you know a child who loves to act, is curious and confident around adults, and would like to be considered as a host for a future episode, they can apply here.
If your business has a career that could be a potential topic for a future video, please email me. We’re booking locations for season two today for filming this summer and fall.
And if you’re a teacher who’d like to receive a monthly newsletter with the latest Cool Career video along with other career-focused classroom materials, sign up now.
To the parents, educators and friends who have been sharing these videos with the kids in their lives and their classrooms, thank you for helping young people explore their future possibilities. We look forward to the experiences next season will bring. We expect Episode #7 to debut in September 2022.
— Kristin Brighton, HirePaths.com
Special Thanks to:
- Foresite: Marc Brungardt and David McKee
- Hamm Companies: Paul Johnson and Scott Anderson
- Tatro: Kristina Lashmet, Justin Sanchez, Kelsey Hessman and Daniel Martin
- Textron Aviation: Caroline Nichols, Darren Fair, Zach Jouppi, Stacy Hart, Emma Hoffman, Ellen Bonzo and Lydia Goering
- Foley Equipment: Tommy Phelps, Matt Watkins and Cameron Pirtle
- Garmin: Marajan Tutu, Mikayla Minnick, Krista Klaus, Jen Pozzuolo, Laurie Minard, Jim Mazurek, Trish Goranflo and Carter Sanchez