Who helped you figure out your career path? Was it a counselor, a mentor, or a parent? Or maybe failure pointed you in the right direction.
Our guest this week on BEATS WORKING is Charissa Eggleston—Facilitator of Innovative Programs and Community Partnerships at Federal Way Public Schools. It’s her job to help kids navigate their way into the world of work.
Eggleston’s greatest love is creating partnerships with people, companies, and programs that open the doors to amazing work opportunities for youth. Some of her students step into rewarding careers right out of high school. Others continue their education in college.
“What makes these programs work,” says BEATS WORKING host Mark Wright, “is Federal Way Public Schools connect students to people who look like them in the working world, and that shows them what careers are possible.”
We think you’ll also be inspired by Eggleston’s career journey that took her from a small town in Oregon to redeeming work in one of the nation’s largest and most diverse school districts.
Resources from the episode:
- Connect with Charissa on LinkedIn.
- Learn more about the pre-apprenticeship program at Federal Way Public Schools here.
- Follow Federal Way Public Schools on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
- Interested in learning more about or volunteering for one of the Federal Way Public Schools programs? Take this survey.
FWPS Department of Innovation and Community Partnership Interest Survey:
Link: Survey
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Transcript
The following transcript is not certified. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. The information contained within this document is for general information purposes only.
Speakers: Charissa Eggleston and Mark Wright
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 00:00
Our graduates coming out of the construction pre-apprenticeship program are starting out at an average of $70,000 with retirement, a pension, full benefits, no debt, none at all. And we, they do have the opportunity if they want to, to go into construction management, get a two year or a four year degree. But when we started this program, we’re in our third year, we started out with nine kids, the first year. The next year we had 27. Now we have 47 and a waiting list. We’re offering summer programming, and spring, spring programming, and part of it is by sharing those stories of those kids coming back and talking to other kids about their experience in the traits.
MARK WRIGHT 00:46
This is the BEATS WORKING show. We are on a mission to redeem work – the word, the place, and the way. I’m your host, Mark Wright. Join us at winning the game of work. Welcome to BEATS WORKING on the show this week, helping young people find their place in the workplace. So who helped you figure out your career path? Was it a counselor, a mentor, a parent? Maybe if you’re like me, failure pointed you in the right direction. Our guest this week is Charissa Eggleston, Facilitator of Innovation and Community Partnerships at Federal Way Public Schools. It’s her job to help kids find their way into the world of work. Charissa’s greatest love is creating partnerships with people, companies, and programs that open doors to amazing work opportunities for youth. Many of her students step right into rewarding careers out of high school, others continue their education in college. What makes these programs work is, Federal Way Schools is connecting students to people who look like them in the working world to show them what possible. I think you’ll also be inspired by Charissa’s own career journey that took her from a little town in Oregon to redeeming work in one of the largest and most diverse school districts in the nation. Charissa Eggleston, welcome to the BEATS WORKING podcast. It’s so great to have you on the show. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 02:16
Thank you, Mark. It’s an honor to be here and I’m excited to talk about work.
MARK WRIGHT 02:20
Well, Charissa, one of the reasons that I wanted to have you on the show is that for a long time, you have worked with young people to connect young people with meaning in life through work. Um, take me back just and give me sort of a nutshell on your career as it relates to connecting young people with work.
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 02:40
Well, this is my 26th year in Federal Way Public Schools, and I started out as a college and career specialist working at an alternative school. But prior to that, I worked, um, with youth that were involved in the justice system, either currently incarcerated in group homes or training facilities. And finding that work was the one thing that could get them out of the situation they were in, but also have them looking at the skills that they had developed in their um, other ways of making money or surviving, directly related to the world of work where they could actually start their own businesses or, or use those skills in, in a more traditional way. Um, but through Federal Way Public Schools, I worked at an alternative school for 14 years. Um, as an internship coordinator, every Tuesday and Thursday, kids learned in the real world. They didn’t come to school, they went to an internship based on their pro uh, passion, and they developed a project that would be beneficial to that work or business. And then they would have to do exhibitions that included, um, their project and how it helped out that organization and how they met academic standards through that. And through that, I became the work based learning coordinator for the school district. So every kid that had a job in Federal Way Public Schools that wanted to get credit, I was working alongside them and their employer, again, creating learning objectives, um, that related to their, what they wanted to do after high school. So even if they wanted to work at Jack in the Box and they were interested in marketing, we, they developed a sample marketing plan. Of course, Jack in the Box didn’t use it, but it, but it related to that, which led to me coming up to the district and, um, developing community partnerships and programs that positively impacted those kids that weren’t being successful. Um, and, and what we were normally offering to all, all students and scholars.
MARK WRIGHT 04:43
Yeah, so there are so many different programs that you’ve developed. There’s an entrepreneurship program, there’s a construction management program, um, there’s sort of a mini shark tank program that you’ve developed. What I think is really so amazing about what you’re doing, Charissa, is, um, for a long time, in our country, it’s like there are two tracks, go to college or don’t go to college, and for the kids who don’t want to go to college, it just seems like sometimes they fall off the radar and there’s not much effort, at least, uh, official effort by the education system to really plug those kids in and you’ve got so many success stories. We’ll get to those a little bit later in this interview, but I would love to find out a little bit more about you. You and I kind of share a similar background. You grew up in rural Oregon. I grew up in rural Whatcom County here in Washington. And I think that really shaped, shaped who we are. But I’d love to explore more about you. Um, you said in our previous conversation that your mother, I think, completed the eighth grade or dropped out at the eighth grade and your dad was a logger. I would love to know just more about what was family life like back when you were a kid?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 05:54
Yes, my mom dropped out of school in eighth grade. And, uh, my stepdad is a logger.I grew up in rural Willowina, Oregon. Shout out to Willowina Bulldogs. And we, we were poor, but we didn’t realize that we were poor because most, most folks were poor. We were probably poorest of the poor. We lived out in the country in a double wide mobile home in the middle of a wheat field. Um, with a little walkway down to the creek, so I grew up fishing and hunting, and if we needed something, we built it.So my mom, um, wanted a deck, so we built a, a wraparound deck. So we, we wanted a basketball court, so we figured out how to pour cement and, um, and make a, make a basketball hoop out of, you know, old school, a wood and a, and a basket. So I just kind of grew up with a, a strong work ethic. Starting in 6th grade, if we wanted to have school closed, we had to figure out a way to buy them ourselves.So I did all sorts of, of interesting jobs. I was pretty athletic, so instead of doing the girl jobs like babysitting that didn’t pay very much, I was out there with my brother and my boy cousins, bucking hay, cutting fire trail, um, doing things like that, the jobs that girls didn’t do back then. And had I known that girls did those kinds of jobs, I would already be retired because I would have been working in the, in the trades, but that kind of, um, taught me the work ethic, take advantage of opportunities.I was so shy back then. I was super shy. I, I didn’t hardly speak probably till I, I got, um, more into middle school and sports brought that out, but I did know that I did not want to be, I didn’t want to be poor. You know, I didn’t want to have to struggle. I didn’t want to have to find ways for my family to, uh, to take care of my basic needs.So I just, I went for it, whatever was available to me, I didn’t take a no for an answer.
MARK WRIGHT 07:57
It’s interesting when you grow up in the country, you kind of just have to figure out. If you need something you make it or fix something up or trade for it or, um, yeah, we, we used to heat our, our home with, with wood.And so the summers and falls were spent, uh, cutting firewood and, uh, and we worked for my uncles at the organic vegetable farm starting probably like you fourth, fifth grade
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 08:21
And I picked berries. That’s what we did in the summertime. That’s how. When you’re really young, uh, yeah, that’s how we bought our, our school clothes.
MARK WRIGHT 08:30
That’s awesome. You know, learning how to work hard as a kid, I just don’t think there’s a downside to that at all. And I think the fact that you’re as successful as you are today, and I’ve had some success in my life, I think that all stems back to the fact that, man, if you can put your head down and, and weed carrots for eight hours, you can do just about anything.
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 08:49
It definitely teaches you, um, um, if you don’t want to keep doing this, you want to work harder, right? Kind of the opposite of I’m just going to stay, sit here and wait for an opportunity to come to me. I do not want to pick blackberries every summer. So let me figure out what else I can do that could make more money.
MARK WRIGHT 09:09
You see, you mentioned athletics. You went to lose in Clark State College in Idaho. You played volleyball. Yes. When did you realize you had some athletic ability that was good enough to play at the collegiate level? That’s pretty exceptional.
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 09:22
Honestly, I had no idea. I’m from a small town. I played every sport available. Um, my, uh, volleyball coach and PE teacher. Um, was an athlete, so she would tell me I was pretty good. Um, how I ended up in college was interesting. We were visiting a local community college for Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon. And they happened, we were doing a college tour. I was in the college classes. I was on that track, but nobody ever talked to me about college. I didn’t know how I was going to get there. We were visiting the college, doing a tour, we’re touring the gym. They said they’re having volleyball tryouts that day. My, uh, peers were like, Charissa plays volleyball. Charissa, you gotta let her try, let her get out there. And the coach said, come on out here, hot stuff. And I’m in whatever I was wearing, jeans, and they had me do some drills during the tryout and they invited me back the next day. Um, it was three days of tryouts and I made the team and they offered me a scholarship. And then from there, I went on to Lewis Clark College in, in Lewiston, Idaho. So I got my four years of college paid for on a scholarship, no student loans. I did have to live in Idaho with no disrespect to my family in Idaho. But yeah, that’s how I ended up going to college.
MARK WRIGHT 10:46
You said that athletics opened your eyes to the larger world. Um, was there a moment, Charissa, that, that really, that crystallized for you?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 10:56
Well, as we were talking last time, it was something that, that I remembered that I hadn’t really thought about. I also grew up, um, in the church. I was the only one in my family that went to church and our town pharmacist, Bob, would, he was really into tennis, Dr. Bob, and, um, his kids weren’t into athletics. So he would take me with him, with the other doctors in the local area, and play at tennis tournaments. I’d never played tennis, but gave me a tennis racket. And so by those experiences, taking me to private tennis clubs and playing in these places, it taught me how to, um, like the etiquette of fine dining, how to move in spaces where I was the only one, um, often being the only person of color, not really understanding it at that point, at that point, but learning how to have conversations and not to be looking down at the ground and mumbling. Um, but also the opportunity to travel outside of my little town with one grocery store and one stoplight. That was the only way that I got to travel. For tournaments, um, first time on an airplane, first time out of the state was all due to athletics. Either in high school, through the church, and then, um, through my community college and four year college experience. It was really where I found my voice in 6th grade. Having me on the 8th grade team and seeing that, okay, I am pretty good at this, so. It was kind of find it, finding your, your passion, finding the thing that you could excel out at, um, that made you kind of unique.
MARK WRIGHT 12:41
I remember looking down like at place settings and like, how many forks do you need for dinner and which one should I use?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 12:48
It’s like, just not going to eat because I don’t know what to do.
MARK WRIGHT 12:53
Well, after you got out of college, how did you get connected with this, I think it’s probably your calling, right, of connecting kids with careers. You were a college and career specialist at an alternative school for a long time. How did you get into that line of work?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 13:08
When I was in college, I had some careers working with kids either in lockup facilities or in mental health places. And I saw that one of the keys to getting them healthy was trying to figure out what they wanted to do and connecting them to those uh careers or to people that were doing the careers that they were interested in. So from that I started working in a group home after college in Portland and my role was college and career readiness. I was helping kids find jobs do the resumes job shadows. Those types of things. And then I went on to work at the Private Industry Council in Portland, Oregon, which was a huge program, summer program, for over 1,500 kids, all with different barriers to employment, whether they were getting involved or hadn’t finished school. I also see how, saw how connecting them to employment not only gave them a purpose, but it did like, um, like Dr. Bob did for me. It gained confidence. I saw that I did have value, that I did have skills, that I did belong somewhere, and that that hard work could get me on to my next thing. So that’s when I, um, started applying for, uh, jobs here in, in Washington State that were similar, that could help make that difference. The same way that work kind of brought me out from where I was, from a small town, I wanted to provide that same opportunity for, for kids living in this area.
MARK WRIGHT 14:42
So, Charissa, one thing that you told me when we spoke last time was, one thing that you’ve really found satisfying in your line of work is to show kids what’s possible. And the diversity that you possess, um, how is that important in showing kids what’s possible in life when they see someone with a diverse background doing something that oh man, maybe I could do that When did that start to crystallize for you because it’s such a powerful tool it seems.
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 15:12
It really crystallized for me when I started working in public school, when I would walk into a room, well, we’ll just put it, so in Federal Way Public Schools and across the nation, 73 percent of teachers are white females. So, some diverse kids never see or have a teacher that looks like them. And I, I guess I knew that data, but I didn’t really fully understand the impact until I would be the person walking into a career center or into a school. And even now, I walk into an elementary or middle school. And kids I don’t even know run up to me because I think they’re somehow related to me or they’re just so excited to see someone that looks like them. And so from that we started really looking at the data of what kids are interested in. And then part of my role currently in the last few years has been to find people who look like our scholars. Doing the things that they’re interested in.
MARK WRIGHT 16:11
Yeah, so let’s talk a little bit more about that. What are some of the programs that you’ve developed? You’re at Federal Way Public Schools. It’s one of the most diverse, um, school districts in the country. Um, you told me before 105 different languages are represented in the district. So what are some of the programs that you’ve developed that connect kids with meaningful work, or at least connect kids with the idea of maybe this career is something I can do?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 16:37
Some of the programs that we’ve developed are our construction pre apprenticeship program. So it’s 85 percent diverse today. We have 47 kids in the class and we have 11 girls currently, but we were finding out with Federal Way Public Schools having so many languages, we wanted to make sure that all kids were exposed to this career option. So we pulled some data, we partnered with the Boys and Girls Club, Youth Force, and the Northwest Carpenters Institute. And we did a six week multilingual construction exploration program. So we had a class with a Spanish and English speaking teacher, myself, and we had, um, students in the class that spoke Pashto, Dari, Ukrainian, and Spanish. And we’re like, this is gonna be great! And I’m thinking, I know multilingual kids, I, um, you know, I interact with our multilingual staff. But some of these kids had only been here in our country for three months, but they were really interested in this opportunity. So yes, we learned construction math, we learned about careers, um, uh, opportunities all across the spectrum from going into work as an apprentice, as an apprentice right out of high school. Construction management, construction tech, technology project management, but mostly what we learned was how to communicate even with limited communication skills. So every day we would start out and learn a different phrase or food from each, each other’s culture. And so, yes, it was about exploring construction management, but it was really about kids feeling comfortable talking about what they really wanted to do. So, yes, a couple of them were in construction management. We found out folks that wanted to be engineers, doctors, because they felt comfortable talking and their limited English skills. So we could connect them with those programs and get them in classes that were actually something that they were interested in. Um, our Ignite program. Inspiring Girls Now and Technology Evolution. We did the first ever multilingual panel. So Ignite is a amazing organization. I think that’s one of the ways that we met as you were the MC for the host for the night. Um, but we worked with a company called Remitly that, um, transfers and sends money around the globe to multiple countries and they had their multilingual staff come in and well, we went to them to remotely in Seattle and we brought all 50 multilingual girls to come and learn about careers in STEM, but instead of the, um, program being spoken in English, it was spoken in kids home languages. I was the English speaking person. Um, so those are some of the ways that we are looking at providing opportunities for our multilingual scholars in their home language. Again, because representation matters. It sounds great if you hear it from your teacher or even from your parent or you’ll watch a YouTube video, but to be in a room, being able to, um, ask questions in a language that’s comfortable for you with somebody that looks like you came, comes from where you are. And later as part of the Ignite program, we have lunch together. So you can have those more casual conversations. Like what did you want to be when you’re in high school? How does it feel to be the only woman, you know, in your field or you know, how do you overcome self doubt and actually being able to have those conversations has been really meaningful and powerful for our girls in the Ignite program.
MARK WRIGHT 20:18
And I think what’s so cool about what you said Charissa is that for so many years? I have a lot of friends with diverse backgrounds who when they were growing up really were encouraged to downplay their diversity to downplay their cultures and to almost ignore, uh, that diversity because it was somehow it would put them at a deficit or is it it was somehow a negative. But what what we’re discovering in the workplace today is that diversity is strength and the more diverse uh, voices you have in the workplace, the stronger that workplace is. So what a, what a cool thing to embrace for these young people to not ignore their, their, their backgrounds and their ethnicities, but to embrace them and to celebrate them.
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 21:02
And our students, I’m from the generation where the way that I was going to get by or, or to get promoted was to assimilate, speak, um, the common language of folks dressed that way. The young people nowadays are feeling more confident. It’s like you wanted the diverse person. This is how a diverse person acts. And I’d like you to adjust to me. I’m not adjusting to you. Um, we held, uh, mock interviews for our construction pre apprenticeship program and a very, uh, shy Ukrainian young man. I mean, he was really, he had his eyes down. He was not, he was developing in his interviewing skills, but the person that interviewing was also bilingual and started, um, speaking to him in Ukrainian and that the young man’s eyes just lit up and he was telling him, you know, it’s, it’s actually an asset for you to be bilingual. And then the kid exposed that he actually speaks four different languages and went from talking like this, all nervous to coming out confident. So it’s, it’s great to have, uh, community mentors come in and give the kids that information again, because parents and teachers were wow, wow, wow, wow. They need to hear it from real people in the real world.
MARK WRIGHT 22:23
You mentioned Ignite Worldwide. It’s an amazing nonprofit started by Cathi Rodgeveller. And essentially just to show girls and young women, uh, the possibility in STEM education and STEM careers. We’re now seeing, uh, girls who’ve actually graduated and are now working in STEM careers. That, that must be so rewarding to actually see that right now.
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 22:46
It is amazing because we’re to the point now, like you said, Um, Some of the girls and non binary folks have graduated from college, are working, they’re coming back as, uh, mentors. They’re working in STEM in all different types of fields. We have, um, a young lady working in the, uh, the legal field. Insurance, of course, the regular Microsoft Amazon that you can think of, but they’re actually coming back and they’re serving on Ignite panels. They’re coming back at doing, um, coding clubs right here in Federal Way Public Schools. And it’s something that we encourage all of our seniors to do is to come back, come back and mentor and represent. I mean, even through our teacher academy, we have all sorts of, of diverse kids that want to become teachers, and we encourage them and actually write a letter of intent for them after they graduate from college to come on back to Federal Way Public Schools so we have more teachers that look like our kids.
MARK WRIGHT 23:44
I’d love to start at sort of the 30,000 foot level with this next idea. Charisse, I’d love to talk with you about what you think about our society. Do you think we’re, do you think we’re too focused on college as the only path to quote unquote success in life? And the reason that I say this is there’s something like $1.5 trillion in student loan debt in this country. A lot of that debt is tied to liberal arts degrees, which, uh, let’s face it, don’t, don’t pay super well when you get out of college. Um, You know, let’s let’s start with that discussion. Do you think we’re too focused on college and we’re ignoring all the opportunities that exist on this other track that’s more work based?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 24:30
I think we’re definitely too focused on college. All kids, all of them, starting in elementary school, need to be exposed to all different career options. There are kids that drop out of school because they don’t think they’ll be able to go to college, that they’re not good enough. Here at Federal Way Public Schools, and Dr. Danny Pfeiffer, our superintendent, is very adamant about developing programs age appropriate. You don’t have to figure out what you want to be in kindergarten or middle school. Maybe by your junior year, it’s a little more urgent, but we want kids to be exposed to, to all of their options. It’s one of the reasons we started the construction pre apprenticeship program and, um, the scholars that are graduate, at Federal Way Public School, we call our kids scholars. So you’ll hear me go students to scholars. Um, but we call our students scholars here. Our graduates coming out of the construction pre apprenticeship program are starting out at an average of $70,000 with retirement, a pension, full benefits, no debt, none at, none at all. And we, they do have the opportunity if they want to, to go into construction management, get a two year or a four year degree. But when we started this program, we’re in our third year, we started out with nine kids. the first year. The next year we had 27. Now we have 47 and a waiting list. We’re offering summer programming and spring, spring programming. And part of it is by sharing those stories of those kids coming back and talking to other kids about their experience in the traits. So that’s one of the programs that we’re, we’re working on to develop so that kids know that there are multiple options, not, not just free for college, like you said, there’s different ways to get there. We also are starting a program with Seattle Children’s Medical Technology for kids that are interested in either one of those so they can expose get exposed to those careers start out with an internship paid summer internships through Seattle Children’s. And then if you like it, there’s, uh, they’re eligible for 10 scholarships, so there’s no debt. So you can go straight to work with those certifications from the internship, or if you want to, you can go on to college. Definitely, folks, need to, uh, need to be aware, and I, I think I shared with you that I had to check my own biases on this. I’m the one preaching. All path, all career pathways are good pathways. Just pick one. Pick one, try it. If you don’t like it, go try another one. But my own son got his AA degree through Running Start in high school and is going to be a pilot and get that bachelor’s degree and I was so proud and happy and excited for those, um, free flights I was going to get. But he had been attending some of my conversations about different pathways and that you didn’t need to go to college to have a fulfilling and a living wage and beyond. And he decided not to go to college and now works in the construction industry, and he’s a foreman, age 24, making over six figures. So, it can be done, and um, it should be done. Folks should be able to, uh, to give those careers a try or at least hear about them.
MARK WRIGHT 27:48
That’s such a great story, Charissa, because my, my own son went to Gonzaga, got a four year degree in sports management. And when he got out of college, he realized he didn’t, didn’t really want to go down that road and started doing odd jobs on construction sites. And fast forward, he’s now an apprentice, uh, to become an industrial electrician. It’s a five year program, and he absolutely loves work, and he’s learning every day. They get a pension, they get paid well, and like you said, these trades, and there’s, there’s going to be a huge shortage in the trades in the not too distant future as baby boomers age out. So electricians, and plumbers, and welders, and all of these trades that you said, just for fun. I, I took out my calculator a little bit ago. I started at $5 an hour, uh, in radio with a college degree when I got out of college and I, I used an inflation calculator hoping that I would feel better, but I didn’t. Um, I found out that adjusted for inflation, that would be like making $10 and 37 cents an hour today. So that’s what I made starting out with a four year degree in liberal arts and broadcasting. Um, you know, it all worked out. But if you told families that their kids could start at 70 grand a year, that is, that’s not insignificant money, is it?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 29:11
It definitely isn’t. It’s more than some of our combined families make. Uh, 73 percent of Federal Way public school families live at or below the poverty level. So, if we’re just giving the message that there’s only one way to get out of that generational poverty and that way is college, we’re providing a huge disservice and also recreating the system that keeps people in poverty. So, we are really trying hard. It’s, it’s Dr. Pfeiffer’s vision and goal to have an apprenticeship program of different types of apprenticeship programs at each of our, our high schools. Decatur High School offers an automotive program, and again, those kids are coming out with the certifications that they earn for free while in high school and folks are recruiting and hiring them right out of high school, starting out at 80 to $100, 000. We just have a relationships with PACCAR, Kenworth, um, for a direct hire relationship for the kids coming straight out of there. So there’s, there’s lots of opportunities and we’re always, always looking for other partners who want to, um, come and partner with Federal Way Public Schools for opportunity for kids to learn. And to go, uh, go to work straight out of high school making, uh, not just a living wage but a, but a, a really good wage.
MARK WRIGHT 30:36
It makes me wonder, Charissa, if we need a more standardized approach to this because it sounds like you’ve done an amazing job with with your colleagues in Federal Way Public Schools to sort of find these opportunities to connect in the community. But I’d love to know from you, does every school district sort of have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to connecting kids with meaningful work? Or do you think we need like a more standardized state system of internships and support?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 31:07
Well, the way that our state does it and most states do it is through career and technical education. Historically, it’s been seen for those kids that can’t learn in the traditional classroom setting and need hands on learning, but career and technical education already kind of has a formula for, um, exposing kids to these types of careers. What we need to do is make it, like you said, more systematic. We should be pulling the data on which kids are interested in which career paths. And make sure that we’re actively recruiting them. What we do in Federal Way Public Schools with, um, our equity goal, equity and achievement goal, is we’re looking at those career technical education classes like, uh, robotics, aerospace, manufacturing. Who’s not in those classes? Are there girls in those classes? Are there diverse folks in those classes? And if there aren’t, then we do targeted marketing, recruiting events for the, um, for the students, but also for their families. What we’re finding even here in Federal Way Public Schools is that elementary school, robotics clubs, sphero clubs, the STEM clubs, it’s everybody’s in there. Middle school, there’s more boys and girls, still diversity, but by the time you get to eighth grade in high school, it goes to mostly white males in the class. So, we’re really looking at that data, and that’s part of my position, is to be looking at that data and how can we adjust our programs, adjust our marketing, adjust our teaching to make sure that girls and diverse folks know that they belong there and that they can succeed there and that those careers are for everyone.
MARK WRIGHT 32:54
And that’s what I think is so exciting about Ignite Worldwide is that when those girls and young people get to go into the workplace and see women working as engineers and computer programmers and whatnot. What an inspiration that is. Um, Charissa, what what work is the biggest sort of uncracked nut at this point? What’s, what’s the biggest obstacle to this entire movement of connecting our kids with meaningful work?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 33:24
I think the biggest obstacle are parents with good intentions. I want my kids to do better than me than they’re going to college because I didn’t get a chance to, or I worked really hard so you could, but also educators. We all went to liberal arts college. We thrived in high school, or we liked high school, so we’re, um, and we had, we went to college, so we want, that’s what we feel like is successful. So you kind of teach to what you know, right? And so part of it is bringing in community partnerships, but it’s also educating our teachers on what they say, what they do, what’s in your classroom, what posters do you have up, what, who do you have as guest speakers? If everyone’s only on a college track, if you only have college posters in your schools, which we tend to do, then that’s all that kids can see. So, I think it’s up to the adults, it’s the, the families, honoring that all career paths can be great ones, but also educators, look in your classroom. What do you see? What’s around? What are the kids looking at? Of course, they’re taking really good notes, but what are they looking at on the wall? There’s a lot of times they’re daydreaming. What do they see? We need to represent it. And then, for folks like my role in the district, we need to make sure that every week, every month, every opportunity, if you live in a rural place like I did, that you’re bringing in diverse folks that look like the kids, to show them the things that, uh, that are representing the things that they want to do.
MARK WRIGHT 35:04
Tell me more about the entrepreneurship program at, uh, at five different high schools in the district. So this is where kids get exposed to the idea that work isn’t just going to work for someone or a company. It’s actually, you can create work. So I’d love to know more about that.
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 35:21
I love our entrepreneurship program. We launched it sadly during COVID, but it did give us an opportunity to do it virtually and, and learn about, um, the curriculum. But it’s offered at five of our high schools and it’s for kids who want to learn how to start their own business and actually, they actually get to start a business if they want. It’s not just a practice business, it’s not watching and learning from other folks. Um, we have community business mentors come into the classes weekly, whether they own their own business, um, have bought a franchise, have a non profit, or they do marketing, or banking, or finance, or coaching for business, and they are coaching our kids. What happens is, uh, we have about 25 students in each class. They get in three or four teams. And we use the Lean Startup Method. So they think of a problem that they want to solve. And that’s how they kind of start it. And then they go through the process of seeing if that idea is viable. And often it isn’t, but the beauty of the program is they learn to also celebrate failure. Like, oh, this was the best I did. Nobody has ever thought of this. They’re going all, I’m going to be a millionaire. And then they do a quick Google search and they find that, hey, guess what? There’s already four cat cafes in the area. So that’s just an example of one that just happened. Um, or so what they learn is how to pivot, which is an adult living skill. What can I do different? How can I make mine different? Or do I pivot to some, to some other problem? So they’re always growing, they’re learning about failure, and what we in education don’t do so well is teach kids how to fail and be excited about it. Okay, now I know what I don’t know. What am I going to do next? Not be upset because you got a red mark or, um, you didn’t do as well as you thought you did. You’re like, great, what am I going to do next? Where can I go? We just did our, um, share back opportunity where each of the five high schools came together and they had the, the team that, um, had the best pitch so far, kind of a mini pitch. So they’re talking about what their business idea is, what their next steps are, and kind of where they’re stuck. And we zoomed in virtually alumni from across the country who have taken this incubator entrepreneurship class. And they got feedback from those folks that are now in college or just off running their businesses. And if you think this program isn’t real, the feedback was brutal. Some were upset. But it was very Shark Tank like. They did three minute pitches and they got feedback from the audience. But those college students who have went through, were in their shoes previously, gave them some really good feedback and they got to experience what it might be like in a Shark Tank situation before they get that.
MARK WRIGHT 38:23
And you told me about a group of kids that started a medical startup idea. Tell me that story again. That’s such a brilliant idea that all evolved through this program, right?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 38:34
Yes. One of our top teams was called the Everyday Medic Team right out of Decatur High School. Three young folks. And their problem was injuries that happen, um, where you’re not close to, uh, medical care. So one’s a hiker, one is, uh, was a tennis player, and the other guy was, oh, he works for South King Fire and Rescue as a junior, I don’t know, officer. And so they had developed these first aid, little mini first aid kits that you could carry, like, in your pocket or on a clip. Um, carabiner, so that you could have it with you at whatever you’re doing. But from that, they were getting feedback from, we had South King County Fire and Rescue come in and give them feedback on their project. We had, um, the police department, and they discovered that there was a bigger problem than the one that they had originally tried to, to resolve. Um, South King County Fire was talking about with, um, all the newcomers to the Federal Way area that often when they would go on a call, they would be having to get, uh, medical consent or be communicating with a very young child to assist the adult. So there was a language barrier. So from that idea developed into putting a QR code and medical consent in multiple languages on this little first aid kit and then from that it evolved to also doing stop the bleed training. Sadly in Federal Way we’ve had a number of youth violence situations where, uh, young folks have bled out because their friends didn’t know what to do whether it was an accidental shooting or something, something that happened on purpose. And so now they do the stop the bleed training, um, in South King County area and they also give out these first aid kits with a QR code for those that, like, uh, English is a diff, uh, not their first language, to provide medical consent for South King County Fire and Rescue. And they received $10,000, um, from St. Francis Hospital, CHI Franciscan, to, um, help fund, fund their idea.
MARK WRIGHT 40:49
Wow. That’s fantastic. Charissa, I’d love to, to ask, what is it about your work that is most rewarding for you? Like, what’s a great day?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 41:02
I’ve had so many great days this last week. We’ve had some really, um, cool things happen. The most rewarding part of my job, I’ll just say that I have my dream job. I get to work kindergarten through twelfth grade, helping kids. figure out what they want to do after high school. I get to work under Dr. Danny Pfeiffer, our superintendent. We are aligned in our goals that all career pathways are good ones and that everyone should be exposed to them. But a great day for me is being at a meeting, being at a social event, and um, hearing about an opportunity for our kids, um, like the medical technology. That just happens through a conversation me talking about our entrepreneurship program and we have kids in different pathways and not everybody wants to go to college and it’d be great to create some programs from that and somebody introducing me to somebody who introducing me to somebody. Next thing you know we got a project proposal going and we’re piloting the first ever medical technology program for kids to either get certifications and careers right out of high school, making $60, 000, or going on to a two year or four year college if they would like to. So that’s just, it’s the dream job. Finding people who look like our kids, doing things that they’re interested in, that are willing to pitch in and, and help those dreams to come reality.
MARK WRIGHT 42:34
Why is it important to do this work?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 42:37
There’s so many reasons. Pausing for that. Why is it important to do this work? Because all kids matter. I was treated differently because I happened to be book smart. I’m not sure what would have happened if I wouldn’t, or if somebody hadn’t recognized that. So I was put in college prep classes, so I at least was becoming academically challenged. But, um, I’ve been in situations, my own son has been in a situation, when he was supposed to be in a gifted program for the summer, and they also had a program for kids that maybe were a little further behind that needed a little catch up work. And he kept coming back and telling me, Mom, they have me in this class. We’re not doing anything but coloring. I don’t understand why I have to go to this, and I’m like, I thought he was just trying to get out of this gifted class for the summer. No, even though his name was on the gifted class, they had him do the full week in the special class. Um, so, that goes back to the belief that this kid looks like he doesn’t belong here. It happened to my own kid, and we do that all the time to other kids. So, all kids matter, and they all need to be exposed to all of the opportunities, and every single educator, every single parent should not be limiting our kids potential by the words that we say to them. By what their report card says that’s not an accurate reflection of intelligent, but we we need everyone those community partners need to, even if you can spend one hour a year coming into a class as a guest speaker or zoom in and now that we do that virtual piece or if you can commit to coming in once a month especially if you’re a diverse person or a person that is an ally to um to those of us that may have not had similar opportunities, get in here, we need you. The kids need you. They need to see people that look like them doing the things that they’re interested in and also just sending them encouraging words if their life isn’t ideal right now that it can’t be ideal and it will be if you just keep, you know, like we were talking about, you don’t quit. You go find another thing and you just work hard and, and you could get there.
MARK WRIGHT 44:455
I love that. The, you know, the one thing that all entrepreneurs have in common is all of them have failed, at least once. And we don’t see that for what it is. It’s, it’s great education when, when, when you fail. But sometimes we don’t, we don’t look at it, at it that way. Charissa, what are you most proud of in all the work that you’ve done over the years?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 45:17
I am just most proud of the lives that we’ve been able to change here at Federal Way Public Schools by looking at our scholars as individuals, um, helping them to identify their passion. I have kids now working, well, I call my kids, my kids, I didn’t give birth to them, but I have, um, so many students now working in our school district, either as teachers, career counselors, um, coaches. I actually work for a guy that I knew in high school. He’s now one of my supervisors, right? But they, they took advantage of the opportunities. I’m just proud that they felt like I believed in them, that I encouraged them, that I didn’t give up on them when they did something, uh, I don’t want to say dumb or stupid, but yeah, they did dumb things, because kids do dumb things. We’re, I don’t under, yeah, you still have to believe in the power of these kids and the great things that they can accomplish, even when they’ve made a bad choice, even if it’s something that they have been, um, incarcerated for. It’s just that they happen to have gotten caught. We’ve all done some things like that. So I guess I’m just proud of the lives that we’ve been able to impact, uh, and they’ve taken full advantage of that and went on to greater things, but now are giving back to others as well.
MARK WRIGHT 46:44
If there’s a business owner in the Federal Way area who would love to reach out to you to maybe partner, what’s the best way that they can get ahold of you?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 46:52
Well, they can, um, call me, 253 391 3584. I believe I sent you all a QR code, which is the easiest way, um, because then you can look at our different programs and how to get involved. But I also want to encourage folks that maybe don’t live in the Federal Way, you can Zoom in. We’ve had folks, uh, Zoom in from around the country that maybe do something that’s really unique that a kid might be interested in. There’s multiple ways for folks to get involved right here at Federal Way Public Schools and we would love to partner with you.
MARK WRIGHT 47:25
Well, Charissa Eggleston, it’s been such a pleasure spending time with you and I’m just so inspired by, uh, the work that you’ve done for your career to really connect kids, you know, with, with meaningful work in life because, I mean, that’s, that’s a lot of what makes life worthwhile. And it also is an avenue to having the things that we want to have in, in life. I guess as we wrap things up, Charissa, I’d love to ask your perspective on what redeemed work looks like. And, you know, our, our definition on the podcast is essentially people doing good through their work, uh, in a way that honors humans on all sides of the equation. But, but when you look at what you’ve been doing with these young people over the years, what does it mean to redeem work in your mind?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 48:12
I think redeeming work is changing, um, young people’s idea of work. It’s not just a means to survive, to make money, to get things. It’s a way of using your gifts and talents, like you said, to, to help others. Often, I meet people who feel like if they aren’t that salesperson-y um, slick talker, you know, comfortable in situations, they feel like they can’t come and help kids because kids will think they’re nerdy or whatever, or not interesting. But there’s all kinds of kids, the quiet kids need you as well, and it’s been amazing to find, um, we had a guest speaker that the adults all thought was very boring and awkward, and the kids hated, but when you get that feedback from the kids, they were like, oh my gosh, I saw somebody like me, wasn’t comfortable in public speaking, and he stuttered a little bit, but he was so inspired, he was a lawyer, just do it, you would, you would, well anyway, I won’t go into that. He was a lawyer, but, speaking in front of a group of teenagers was really nervous for him and the kids absolutely loved it because he was his authentic self and nervous but hopefully I answered your question about the redeeming work.
MARK WRIGHT 49:33
Yeah. It’s not just about the paycheck. It’s about finding that thing that lights you up, right?
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 49:38
Yeah. Exactly. And keep going until you find it. You don’t have to work in a job for 30 years that you hate.
MARK WRIGHT 49:45
Well, Charissa, it’s been so fun spending time with you. Um, thank you so much for the work that you’re doing to redeem work for so many young people over the years. Super inspired by you and keep up the good work.
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 49:57
Well, thank you, Mark. It was an honor to be here and I’m really excited about this topic. And the way that we all look at work, work sounds like a negative word, but it’s a really exciting, um, word. It, I don’t know, it’s kind of the avenue to getting what you want, but also to helping others.
MARK WRIGHT 50:17
Yeah. Yeah. All right. Well, thank you so much for your time.
CHARISSA EGGLESTON 50:20
Okay. Thank you.
MARK WRIGHT 50:21
I’m Mark Wright. Thanks for listening to BEATS WORKING, part of the WORKP2P family. New episodes drop every Monday. And if you’ve enjoyed the conversation, subscribe, rate, and review this podcast. Special thanks to show producer and web editor Tamar Medford. In the coming weeks, you’ll hear from our Contributors Corner and Sidekick Sessions. Join us next week for another episode of BEATS WORKING, where we are winning the game of work.
