How Career Networking Day Builds Youth Confidence: Insights from C5 Leaders Program Director Letia Jones
- Holly Wenger
- Nov 19
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 20
“Connection and conversation help young people see the real picture of a career—not just the version they imagine.”
Career Networking Day gives C5 Leaders the tools, mentorship, and confidence to explore their future. For C5 Leaders Program Director Letia Jones, this event is part of a larger, intentional journey through the C5 Leaders Program—a five-year path designed to help teens discover their strengths, clarify their goals, and prepare for life after high school.
For Compasses (Grade 11), Career Networking Day represents the next step in a carefully scaffolded program. Over the past several years, these young people have built leadership skills which they tested on their 7-day wilderness trek with NOLS, learning persistence, planning, and goal-setting. They have also explored higher education firsthand through college tours. Career Networking Day allows them to translate those experiences into meaningful career exploration, connecting with professionals across healthcare, STEM, business, hospitality, education, and civic sectors.
Seeing Possibility in New Ways
“Exposure helps young people understand what different careers look like and the many paths to get there,” Letia explains. “A teen might say they want to be a lawyer but imagine only a courtroom. They may not realize lawyers also work in hospitals, banks, and corporations. This event gives them a broader perspective and helps them think about what interests them, and what doesn’t.”
As Letia explains, discovering that a career isn’t the right fit is just as important as confirming one is. “Either way, it’s a positive outcome. It builds clarity before someone chooses a major, which saves time, saves money, and helps them make informed decisions earlier.”
Preparation, Purpose, and Real-World Learning
Before the event, Compasses gathered at Camp Wing to discuss and plan for next summer's A.C.T. Now Summit (A.C.T. = Actively Changing Tomorrow). Their chosen theme—human rights—sparked discussions and will lead to more research on the areas of child labor laws, immigration, affordable healthcare, and systemic inequalities.
They also researched the professionals who would be attending the networking event and created LinkedIn profiles to plan meaningful connections. “The fact that they used LinkedIn and followed up, showed me they were applying what they’d learned,” Letia says, reflecting on the event's success. “They showed up with intention, asking good questions, and building confidence in both professional and interpersonal skills.”
The Role of Alumni and Near-Peer Mentors
At Crossroads, alum and summer staff play a pivotal role in these impactful experiences.
“Our alum can say, ‘I know because I was you.’ When teens see someone who walked the same path, it builds trust and representation,” Letia notes. This near-peer mentorship helps teens envision themselves in future roles and motivates them to give back and serve as role models or support to someone else.
Building on Five Years of Growth
The C5 Leaders Program is carefully scaffolded to guide young people over five years, with each experience building on the last. From early leadership lessons to Trek, college tours, and now career exploration, each stage reinforces persistence, planning, reflection, and goal-setting. Career Networking Day is part of a continuum designed to empower teens to take ownership of their growth and confidently step into their futures.
Youth Development That Builds Confidence
At the heart of all of these moments is a simple truth: Exposure to new experiences builds confidence. And confidence opens a world of possibilities.
Many thanks to all the Career Networking Day professionals who nurtured informative roundtable discussions: Andy Cartin, BCB3 Hospitality Group; Katrina Jordan, Boston Public Schools; Julia Lynch, Harvard Law School; Monet Smith, J'Monet Beauty; Maeve Lyon, Mass General Brigham & Newton Wellesley Hospital- Emergency Department; Julia Callaghan, Mass General Brigham, Emergency Department and Cardiac Surgery; Aramis Rivera, Massachusetts Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department; Matt Wilson, PrepMD; Regis Lino-Kelly, SharkNinja; Venus Trent Pinckney, STEMography; Jack Corby, Stevens Strategy; Nick Barrett, The Siegfried Group, LLP; Brian Barry. Vertex.
By sharing your stories, you inspire our future leaders and their career trajectories. Thank you for being partners with Crossroads and our young people, as they continue their journeys, setting goals, building and creating the futures of their choosing.