During the school’s spring break, ten of Link’s eighth grade students participated in the Novartis Pharmaceuticals’ Corporate Multicultural Teen Mentoring program, a four-day mentoring and career exploration program at the company’s East Hanover campus. The program is intended “to inspire young people to set higher personal, academic and personal goals by bringing them face-to-face with successful role models”, “expose them to a wide array of career options available in a corporation,” and introduce them to the pharmaceuticals industry.
The program began with speeches by various Novartis executives and then, to prepare them for the week, a discussion of business etiquette, including how to communicate, how to behave and how to dress. Students were placed in groups with students from NJ high schools to work on a project together. The project’s goal was developing a marketing plan for a drug that the team was to “create” in order to cure or treat a specific illness or condition. Groups competed to develop the best marketing strategy, presenting their plans to a panel of Novartis executives, parents, and students on the last day. Additionally, each student was assigned a mentor whom they “shadowed” in their job. They also worked on a community service project together, assembling bags of useful and fun items for underprivileged children and they attended a college/career fair.
Link Community School students were very excited by the experience. They were impressed with their mentors and the opportunity they had to work with students from other schools. Although they were the only middle school students among the 175 participants, about which they had some apprehension, they quickly engaged in the group activities with the older students. Linkers were impressed with the program and were more than happy that they gave up their spring break for the experience. Two of the winning groups included Link students (Hydia Black and Joyce Adu-Boahene).
Link congratulates the students’ efforts and thanks Novartis for this wonderful opportunity for this valuable exposure to corporate life.
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