Twice a year, normal classes stop for a week at EPIC Academy. Every student participates in a unique “Intensive” course where students have the opportunity to learn about a career from professionals in that field. As we close down our January round of Intensives courses, I wanted to share our students’ wonderful experience with Southwest Airlines (SWA) last June.
Rebecca, an EPIC junior, summed up her Intensive experience:
“I felt so special this entire week because of the amount of time the Southwest family took to talk with us. They showed us behind the scenes and told us about their jobs and how much they loved working at Southwest Airlines.”
Each day, students learned about a different position at Southwest Airlines. They had the opportunity to hear from pilots, flight attendants, baggage handlers, human resource specialists, customer service managers, and members of the marketing and social media teams. They participated in Q & A panels, received tours of the various parts of Midway Airport and the business center, and even had a chance to listen in on real customer service phone calls.
After learning about the qualifications and attributes required to be successful in different positions at SWA, students selected a job for which they would “apply.” The HR team led an interview-prep and professionalism session with EPIC students to prepare them for their interviews. On Friday, each student had a one-on-one interview for a position at SWA with an HR team member.
At the end of the week, Asia, an EPIC senior, beamed about her experience:
The work we do with our students would not be possible without our many Intensives partners and all of our supporters. Thank you for making this program a success!
