On November 4th, over 120 students from the York Catholic District School Board gathered for something different. Not another assembly. Not another lecture about career options. This was a hands-on leadership and project management workshop where students heard directly from people doing the work they dream about.
The energy was visible from the moment students walked in. Industry professionals Ritika Saraswat, Dragos Cada, Mike Thibodeau, and Simran Dhaliwal shared their authentic career stories, complete with the mistakes, pivots, and lessons that don't make it into typical career talks. Students leaned in, asked questions, and engaged in a way that reminded everyone why experiential learning matters.
What Makes SHSM Workshops Different
Specialist High Skills Major programs exist to bridge the gap between classroom theory and workplace reality. Yet too often, career exploration still happens through slides and job descriptions. Students need to see what leadership actually looks like when projects don't go as planned. They need to hear how professionals navigate uncertainty, communicate across teams, and make decisions with incomplete information.
That's exactly what this workshop delivered. Each panelist brought stories grounded in real experience. They talked about the soft skills that matter most, the importance of asking for help, and why adaptability beats perfection. For students exploring career pathways, these insights are invaluable.
Why This Approach Works
When students see professionals who look like them, who faced similar uncertainties, who started with questions rather than answers, the pathway forward becomes clearer. The panelists didn't sugarcoat their journeys. They talked about pivots, mistakes, and the messy reality of building a career.
That honesty matters. Students spend so much time being told what they should do, what the "right" path looks like. Hearing from people who figured it out as they went along gives them permission to be uncertain, to explore, to change their minds.
Lauren Lamonaca-Bada, a physics teacher who attended, called it "an inspiring event for the students." Dragos Cada noted how engaged students were throughout. When young people are treated as capable and curious rather than empty vessels waiting to be filled, they show up differently.
What Made This Workshop Work
The structure created space for genuine interaction. Students participated in activities that mirrored real workplace challenges. They worked in teams, made decisions under time pressure, and experienced what project management actually feels like beyond a textbook definition.
But the real value came from the conversations. Students asked questions they'd been wondering about. They heard how the panelists handled uncertainty, how they built professional relationships, why they chose one path over another. Those details, the human parts of career development, don't fit neatly into curriculum documents but they're what students actually need.
This event happened thanks to Diane Di Meo and Michael Calabrese at York Catholic District School Board prioritized hands-on learning over checkbox compliance. That choice made the difference between another career day presentation and an experience students will remember.
About LearnIt Solutions
LearnIt Solutions partners with Ontario school boards and independent schools to deliver experiential learning programs and SHSM certifications. We work with 20+ school boards and corporate partners to help students develop real world skills and career clarity. Learn more at www.learn-it.ca.
As part of LearnIt Media, we also amplify education innovation stories through our "Behind the Chalkboard" podcast, featuring conversations with Ontario superintendents, principals, and education leaders reimagining student learning.
Founder Dhiraj Hariramani
CEO & Chief Learning Officer, LearnIt Solutions Inc.
Dhiraj founded LearnIt to bridge the gap between classroom theory and career readiness. A UBC graduate and consultant at Accenture, he has directly impacted 10,000+ students across Ontario school boards.
As host of the Behind the Chalkboard podcast, Dhiraj facilitates conversations with education leaders exploring innovation, equity, and student centered approaches to learning.
Connect: LinkedIn | dhiraj@learn-it.ca | +1 (236) 788 6830