DSFederal client U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACL), Office of Head Start Region 10 held its third annual “Career Connections in Government” event at Seattle’s Columbia Center on March 2, 2017. Over 40 employees of HHS, other Federal agencies, and contractors volunteered their time at the event, offering career guidance and practical advice to disadvantaged students who attend three Seattle-area high schools. DSFederal Grants Management Specialists Rachel Ringdahl and Jon Cochran were among the volunteers.
Although the event was focused on careers in government and government contracting, the real message to the students was, as Rachel writes, “You have options.” The adult volunteers offered the students encouragement, support, and inspiration, not just job-seeking or career success advice. In addition to the career fair, participants also attended life skills classes, where they received advice on money and finances, college applications, and the transition to adult life. Rachel praised the students as engaged, enthusiastic, and determined to “get the most out of the day.” “They ask insightful questions,” she writes, and are eager to know “not just what, but how.”
DSFederal provides program management and administrative support for the Region 10 Office of Head Start, which promotes school readiness for underserved children in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. We are happy to serve a program dedicated to leveling the playing field for children from disadvantaged families, and proud of our employees’ efforts to make the world a better place—both in and out of the workplace.