At KIPP Newark High School, educators believe in showing their students early on that there is no singular path to success – and then surrounding them with people who prove it.

Therefore, last Saturday at the the 3rd annual Men’s Empowerment Brunch, “Built for More: Purpose, Preparation & Brotherhood,” local professionals offered insights on various career pathways to over 75 young men. Career pathways include law and justice, psychology, media and advertising sales, entrepreneurship, human resources management, and youth-development; skilled trades including welding, HVAC, and CDL/trucking; and fire and emergency services.

Rob Reddick, Dean of Culture and a KIPP alumnus, says he founded the mentorship program to highlight the varied ways people find their own success in life and work, and put students in front of “living examples of career empowerment from our own community.”

Students travelled through a College and Career Gallery Walk to complete a “career passport,” stamping it with information they learn about various career paths. The event also featured a keynote from Rey Chavis of the Newark Community Street Team, a public safety organization.