June Streckfus, Maryland Business Roundtable executive director, said she got the idea for BeWhatIWantToBe.com four years ago after reading a newspaper article about a Gates Foundation grant to the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
The interactive Web site, launched in 2005, helps high school students explore various career possibilities and then chart the necessary steps in course selection, postgraduate technical training or college study to make their goal a reality.
“It was a grant to research a cure for malaria,” Streckfus recalled. “I thought there is so much important work for our students to do ? and there are so many opportunities out there ? but they don?t find out about them until they are older.”
Streckfus announced the new, localized Baltimore County section of the Web site Thursday at Dundalk High School.
The Maryland Business Roundtable began its Speakers Bureau series in 1999 in Baltimore County. However, Streckfus said, students often sought follow-up information after the programs.
WillAnderson, MBRT?s BeWhatIWantToBe.com director, said the site is the first of its kind in the country and had 43,000 visitors last year.
He said the new Baltimore County?s specific tools, information about local colleges, internships and scholarships, plus links to the Baltimore County school system and interviews with county professionals on their careers, make it even more unique.
Steckfus said she has already been contacted by Baltimore City public officials about building the site out further to include the same resources for city high school students. She expects other area school systems could follow.
The presentation was attended by Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith, county schools Superintendent Joe Hairston and state education chief Nancy Grasmick.
“BeWhatIWantToBe.com allows students to see for themselves what successful young workers do, why they chose their professions, the rewards and challenges of their lines of work and how they prepared in school to succeed following graduation,” Hairston said.
Chris Miron and Larry Bienlein, seniors at Dundalk involved in the schools video and television programs, said they?ve already done some career planning and expect fellow students in the county to make use of the site.
“They will if they don?t want to work at McDonald?s for the rest of their life,” Bienlein said.
