Story By: Taylor Dice

Starting this school year the Eudora Schools Foundation is excited to offer industry mentors and experts to share their knowledge and experiences with students interested in their respective fields. The events are coined “Lunch N’ Learns.” It’s not often that we’re given a preemptive glance into the real-world perspective of career and study, but holding these Lunch N’ Learns is beginning to address that need.

 Focusing on architecture and design, the early September Lunch N’ Learn was another productive and highly attended event. 

Ed Hurtig, Lexi Segraves, and Kelly Johnson offered their extensive expertise, knowledge, and insights into the career field of architecture and design. They spoke to students about their specialities in their respective fields, their college career, and what they like and dislike about their current jobs.

“Y’know, it has been fantastic with the growing interest that students have in this” Said Eudora School Foundation’s Executive Director Shanda Hurla, “I think with the Lunch N’ Learns, just having awareness that we have started doing this meeting for professionals… what happens is once students know that this is an opportunity, like, every two weeks, more students are becoming interested and they’re talking to their friends about it because… y’know, how often do you get to hear things like this?”

Hurla also brings up the interesting point that attending these Lunch N’ Learns could ignite an interest in a career that you’ve never even considered previously.

“I think as a student you don’t even know what’s possible, so just taking the chance to come to the Lunch N’ Learn that maybe you may not be familiar with… Y’know, you learn more.” Said Hurla.

One noteworthy aspect about this particular group of presenters is the different paths they each took initially, regardless of whether they knew what they wanted to do straight out of highschool or not.

“They didn’t know what they wanted to do as soon as they got out of school, right? It took them some different ways to get their jobs, I think that’s just kind-of cool to hear, that they have other life experiences that got them to where they are, so it’s kind of reassuring, if you’re a student, it’s reassuring that you may not have to know exactly.”

Come by the Edtech commons and listen in on the Lunch N Learn offered sometime, listen to the experience and information that the speakers have to give.