On October 5, 2023, students in the Independent Study and Mentorship (ISM) program participated in a business symposium where they connected with ISM students from other schools and also connected with professionals in different industries for the students to learn from. 

“Well going into the trip, I was really nervous because I didn’t know what to expect,” Ira Tendulkar, a student taking ISM, said. “But at the actual symposium, I think it was a lot more casual than I was expecting to be… every other ISM student were also nervous, so that helped me feel better.”

The ISM program helps students dive deeper and research specific work industries of their choosing based mostly on their interests and what they would like to do in the future.

“Students are required to select a career field that they are interested in pursuing, and they spend an entire year researching that career field,” Lesli Russell, ISM I and II teacher, said.

ISM not only allows students to learn more about their future career paths, but also gain connections through outside experienced mentors in different fields based on the students career choices. 

“That networking aspect [in ISM] really allows you to make those connections that can get you far in the future in your desired career field as you are able to meet others,” Addie Salvosa, an ISM student, said. 

The recent ISM symposium helped the students gain insight into what they will be expecting in their upcoming years in ISM. 

“I feel like being at the business symposium and having that opportunity to network with professionals and hear from other ISM students who were in our positions last year really alleviated my fears and helped me to feel just overall more prepared,” Salvosa said. 

During the ISM symposium, students were able to communicate with other students and experts in different industries to build connections for future ISM projects and careers. 

“The trip itself was really fun because I got to know a lot of good information about how ISM helps people because there were like college students who did ISM before,” Tendulkar said.

With these new connections, the ISM students will be able to further explore their careers that will benefit them in the future. 

 “It’s not always about what you know, it’s about who you know,” Salvosa said.