Seven hundred Hernandez Middle School students visited local businesses for reverse career day on April 5 as part of the schools’ “What will IB day.” Hernandez is an International Baccalaureate (IB) campus where one of the tenants of the program is to connect students with their local community.

The event was a partnership between Hernandez and the United Way of Williamson County. The goal of the day was to expose students to careers they are interested in and inspire them to pursue higher education or the necessary steps to follow their desired career path. More than 30 local businesses from Round Rock, Austin, Georgetown and Hutto hosted the middle school students.

“The purpose of “What will IB day” was to see in real life what the careers we are interested in look like,” said Jazmine Garcia Hernandez eighth grade student. “I went to Univision because I want to do broadcasting. I was afraid that broadcasting might be too hard of a job for me, but the people at Univision showed me that is wasn’t that hard and convinced me I could do it.”

Throughout the event students were able to tour a workplace, speak with employees about their job, learn what classes and education will be needed to succeed in the position, participate in hands-on activities and imagine themselves in that type of career.

Hernandez Assistant Principal Jeremy Thompson went to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) with students. He said the students were impressed with what they saw and were able to make connections between what they are learning in class now and a future career.

“The kids really got an idea of the possibility and what they could do,” Thompson said. “They could visualize where they might be in a few years.”

Hernandez IB Coordinator Desiree Le plans to continue and grow this event in partnership with United Way of Williamson County. Le conducted a survey after the event and feedback from students and businesses was overwhelmingly positive.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steve Flores visited with one group of aspiring educators and said he was impressed by the types of questions the students were asking and the overall vision of the day.

“Hernandez Middle School has done a phenomenal job of dreaming big and taking action,” Flores said. “It is imperative to connect our students with community organizations so they realize the opportunities that await them and make the connection between what they are learning and how they will use these skills in the workforce. The partnership with Hernandez and United Way of Williamson County is a prime example of what makes Round Rock ISD the Destination District for Public Schools.”

Businesses Hernandez students visited include:

  • Google,
  • Williamson County Museum,
  • KVUE,
  • Univision,
  • Capitol Metro,
  • Capital Idea Nonprofit,
  • R.O.C.K.,
  • Hopeful Hearts,
  • Williamson County Animal Shelter,
  • IBM,
  • Microsoft,
  • Apple,
  • Southwestern University of Texas,
  • C3 Presents,
  • City of Georgetown Fire Department,
  • City of Georgetown Police Department,
  • Pflugerville Detectives,
  • Round Rock Comfort Dentistry,
  • Public Policy Foundation,
  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
  • Office of U.S. Congressman John Carter,
  • Round Rock ISD,
  • Office of Texas State Representative Larry Gonzales,
  • TD Industries,
  • Tokyo Electron,
  • ERCOT,
  • Scott & White,
  • Mel’s Lonestar Lanes,
  • Crossfit/Yoga and
  • Round Rock Police Department.