On March 25, 2022, Parker students arrived on campus at 9:45am and went directly to advisory. This was not a normal day of school. It was Upper School Career Day.

Upper School Dean of Student Life Joe Bruno first imagined the concept of Career Day in 2020. Bruno wanted various Parker Alumni, both those who live in Chicago and those who have traveled away from the corner of Clark and Webster, to come to campus and speak to students about their respective careers. Due to COVID-19, Bruno’s plan could not happen in either 2020 and 2021. After waiting two years, Career Day finally happened.

Career Day opened with the entire Upper School gathering in the auditorium to listen to Class of 1992 graduate Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. Via Zoom, Pressley spoke about a variety of topics, ranging from her time as a Parker student to her condition of alopecia. “Hearing Pressley speak was an awesome experience,” said junior Daniel Silets, “it was fascinating to hear how her time at Parker impacts her current life.”

After Pressley’s zoom, students divided into breakout sessions. Alumni from various professions lead the different breakout sessions. The topics ranged from finance, to real estate, to media and journalism, to fine art. Earlier in the week, every student was asked to complete breakout session preference forms to aid the Administration in ensuring that the information shared in the breakout session was of interest to the students in the room. Junior Henry Weil, who was placed in a breakout session focused on venture capital, shared that he “learned a lot from the three panelists, this is definitely something I’m happy to have done.” Each student participated in two breakout sessions, with each session focusing on a different topic.

The day concluded with lunch in the Big Gym, where students were able to freely talk to any of the 60 Alumni participants and enjoy food catered by the school cafeteria. “Overall I think the day was a huge success, and definitely something I hope Parker continues in the future,” said sophomore Hanna Bilgin.