Rockridge’s Second Annual Career Expo By Grade 11 Student, Daphne B.

During the 2016 Rockridge Career Expo, I was able to meet some very inspiring and interesting people. Among those stunning individuals I was able to meet and listen to were Lynne, Melissa and Mark. These were three talented people with exciting insight into my interest of a career path: the fine arts.

The hour long presentation they happily delivered is one that I will never forget. It started with Lynne who is a production manager. She described her specific duties and responsibilities, as well as the sacrifices that she has made in her line of work. As I was listening to her speak, I developed a newfound respect for those who work behind the scenes. As she was wrapping up her presentation, I was given the chance to ask a few questions. I asked her “What was it that initially got you interested in this industry?” She responded with something along the lines of “Well I didn’t actually know it was what I wanted to do until I’d tried a whole lot of other things. But, the key thing for me was that I could type really fast, which got me a job working for a TV and film company, and that’s how I got interested”. After watching her presentation, I can safely say that I am not as interested in behind the stage and screen work as I once thought I was. However, I am still impressed and have much respect for those who wish to go into the production side of things. It was a presentation I was definitely enlightened and educated by watching and listening to.

The second presenter, Melissa, is a stuntwoman. She first introduced herself and then described her career and what it means to be a stuntwoman. She then showed us her demo reel, which was very impressive. I was shocked that the woman standing a few feet away from me had worked on movies such as Inception, Terminator, and The Maze Runner and that’s just to name a few! She told us about how she had this dream as a little girl to do all the stunts in movies. I respect her for following through with that dream. I thought it was very interesting that she took such a specific route in the industry. She was a very confident and level‐headed person and she definitely has inspired me to go forward and do what I love.

The final speaker was Michael. He is a writer and a university professor at Capilano University. He went around the room and asked everyone what they wanted to do and gave a tip or a way to get started to each person. Since I wanted to go into stage and screen acting, he told me to join “casting workbook”. He also elaborated into the writing side of the industry and told us about all the programs that Capilano University has to offer in the acting, directing, producing and writing areas. His presentation was helpful and engaging.

Overall the career expo went very well and I enjoyed each person who came to the event. I learned a lot about the industry and its standards. This event only proved that this is what I want to do with my life.