Scottsdale Unified, Chamber and SRYP pilot career mentorship for CTE students

Scottsdale Unified School District teamed with the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and Scottsdale Rising Young Professionals to pilot a career-mentoring event for Career and Technical Education students at Scottsdale Community College.

The half-day program on campus brought about 20 high school students from multiple CTE pathways together with roughly a dozen young professionals for a panel discussion, four breakout sessions and networking. “We wanted to get these students—what are they interested in and what do they want to learn?” said Anthony Vogel, Career and Technical Education coordinator for Scottsdale Unified School District. “The kids really let loose. They wanted to know every little detail.”

The event combined a brief moderated panel followed by table-based breakout conversations aligned to industry pathways. Students represented engineering, finance, nursing and hospitality, culinary arts, law and public safety, coding, sports medicine and biotechnology, among others. Vogel said organizers initially scheduled four 15-minute breakout sessions but will lengthen that portion: “I double that easily next time,” he said.

Stephanie Miller, director of programs and events for the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and liaison for SRYP, said the goal was to provide networking and practical guidance students can apply when seeking jobs or internships. “We plan events and networking opportunities to try to bridge the difference between young professionals and the students who are thriving to be professionals in the future,” Miller said.

Steven Kupcho, a Risk Management Advisor and SRYP board member, said the interaction was two-way: the young professionals practiced leadership and the students asked practical questions about interview skills, salaries and day-to-day work. “It was something that made sense, and I took the lead on it,” Kupcho said. “We had a rock-star event that I think really impacted a lot of kids.”

Organizers said the Chamber and SRYP plan to expand the effort. The SRYP board is considering repeating the event more frequently and recruiting more young professionals from industries that align with CTE pathways. Sponsors and partners included Scottsdale Community College (host), Chick‑fil‑A (caterer), Auto‑Owners Insurance and Freestone Insurance Group.

Participants and organizers described an immediate appetite to scale the pilot: more time for breakouts, broader panels on career readiness (resume and interview preparedness) and potential workplace tours. Vogel and the chamber representatives also highlighted work-based learning and internship connections as follow-up opportunities that could create direct pathways from SUSD classrooms into local jobs.

Organizers declined to list any specific funding sources for the pilot beyond sponsorships and in‑kind support; a precise budget was not specified during the recording. The podcast hosts encouraged businesses interested in supporting CTE or offering internships to contact the Chamber or the district.

The episode concluded with each guest reflecting on an influential teacher and the value of community mentorship. “When they see someone who’s closer in age, who’s living that reality, they hear it a little differently,” one host said, summarizing the event’s intended impact.