A core aspect of the PESA mission is educational in nature, and to that end, we’re very proud of our Distinguished Speaker Series. One of the more popular and successful events has been the professional development series in which high school students who are of an age to be considering future careers and employment are invited to online presentations by individuals representing a range of professions.
To date, speakers have included CEOs, attorneys, journalists, organizational psychologists, college athletics coaches, forensic scientists and more. Speakers offer invaluable insights into their fields of endeavor and discuss the educational requirements for entry, real-world opportunities and hurdles and unique personal experiences. It’s one thing to read about being a judge in the abstract, it’s quite another to have a face-to-face conversation with and put probing questions to an actual Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge. We like to think of these as 60-minute micro internships.
Most recently, PESA and the Teen Court Club of the Downey Unified School district co-hosted one such speaker event featuring Kim Roberts Hedgpeth, executive director of the Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund, a non-profit that collects and distributes residuals to musicians who work in film and television.
There were 56 students from Warren and Downey high schools attending via Zoom. Hedgpeth shared her journey growing up as the daughter of a musician father and Broadway actress mother and her education from high school through college and law school and on to an illustrious career using her legal background in service at various non-profits. Her insight regarding the vital role of establishing and maintaining mentors was just one of the many invaluable lessons she learned and shared with students.
Hedgpeth’s authenticity allowed for an open dialogue in which students asked questions such as:
- When did you know that you wanted to go to law school?
- How did your family feel about you going into law and not entertainment?
- Do you have any regrets?
- What are your greatest accomplishments?
Learning about Kim’s parents being in the performing arts, one aspiring actor asked if she had any suggestions about getting into that field. Kim eloquently described the challenges and advised continuing their education by researching institutions with strong programs focused on the many aspects of performing arts. Just like an often-unpredictable career path, we never know where these professional development series events may lead, but they’re always fascinating!
Next up: Honorable Judge David S. Wesley, founder and Director Emeritus of the Teen Court and SHADES programs, will speak to Downey Unified students in April.
If you are a teacher and are interested in having a Distinguished Speaker present to your class, please contact Leslye Kasoff at Leslye@pesa-edu.org. ■
If you’d like more information or to support PESA’s many social and educational initiatives, please contact us.