One of the perks of our job is coming into contact with so many young people every day that are doing things in our community. For me, it means very often that my contact with them doesn’t stop in the classroom but extends on to real life. Last week in Michael’s while picking up last minute necessities for Halloween, I was greeted at the checkout with, “aren’t you the portfolio lady that talked to us?” Portfolio Lady is a title I wear proudly and it’s all the better when I hear it out in the retail world because it means I’ve hopefully helped these youth land the jobs I’m encountering them at.
Brenden, Noland, and Brielle are three such students from recent classes. Brenden and Noland can both be seen and heard on their own YouTube channels as well as selling gaming merchandise and stickers online. I’ve been invited to check out their stations and I’ve seen firsthand the effort that is going into the content creation. They’re giving movie reviews (much like the heroes I grew up with, Siskel and Ebert,) and, they’re actually marketing some of the graphics they put together online and selling them! Brielle, on the other hand, is doing something I can identify with a bit easier, though I’m still in awe. She always liked to bake, so during the pandemic she began revving up her cupcake savvy and selling online. She is currently going through the process to become home-baker certified!
