Through AHC’s College & Career Readiness (CCR) program, high school students gain mentorship and guidance to plan for life after graduation. Recently, CCR mentors, volunteers, and staff partnered to create hands-on shadowing opportunities, giving students a chance to observe different careers and learn directly from professionals in the field.
Read about their experiences below and see how these opportunities are helping shape their future paths.
Engineering
Steve, a 12th-grade CCR student, stepped into the world of engineering through a shadowing experience with mentor Austin Ray, who has been involved with CCR since the fall of 2025 and works as an Assistant Project Manager at The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.
While visiting an active construction site in Alexandria, Virginia, Steve gained hands-on experience in the field — monitoring construction progress, reviewing documents, and participating in scheduling and coordinating meetings as the team prepared bids for a new addition.
“What I found most interesting was that Austin’s work [remodeling an elementary school] served an impact that was both visible and one that students and staff will feel for years to come,” Steve said.
As a mentor, Austin sees value in this kind of direct exposure for students.
“Opportunities for students to shadow working professionals are important because they allow students to experience something tangible — and it is hard to imagine what you want to do in life without tangible examples,” Austin said.
Information Technology (IT)
Kerod, a 10th-grade CCR student, explored a career in IT by shadowing Christian Rodriguez, AHC’s IT Manager, and Thomas Dinh, AHC’s Systems Administrator.
During the experience, Kerod got to look at a typical day in IT — learning about support requests, basic troubleshooting, and how AHC manages systems and users across the organization. He also saw how the team prioritizes tasks and communicates with staff to resolve issues efficiently.
“Experiences like this are important because they give students a clearer picture of how IT functions in a real workplace — supporting staff, maintaining systems, and keeping operations running smoothly — while helping them identify the technical and problem-solving skills they’ll need,” Christian said.
Healthcare & Medicine
Maram, a 12th-grade CCR student, got an inside look at the medical field through a shadowing experience at Virginia Hospital Center (VHC Health), arranged by her mentor, Jade Gong.
Interested in pursuing a career in healthcare, Maram spent the day with a physician observing three different surgeries.
“Maram and I had an immediate connection, and as a first-generation immigrant myself, I could relate to her intense desires for experiences to support her career goals,” Jade said. “It has been immensely satisfying to see Maram’s enthusiasm for a health care career grow even stronger with a shadowing experience. Most importantly, I know that Maram has also learned that there are many people who are willing to help her on her journey.”
Commercial Real Estate
Three students visited CCR mentor Hassan Dixon’s workplace, Berkadia, to learn about careers in commercial real estate. Hassan has been involved with CCR since 2023.
During the visit, students met with professionals across the Berkadia office, participated in an interactive presentation, and applied what they learned by creating their own commercial real estate concepts.
“There are a lot of people who have grown up never having any understanding of what commercial real estate is. I was one of those people,” Hassan said. “It is extremely important to me that these kids and kids everywhere have an understanding of what is available for their future. It was sincerely an honor to work with the CCR students and pass the knowledge forward.”
Government & Law
Four students interested in political science, international relations, and law had the opportunity to visit with James Madison University (JMU) Washington Semester students in Washington, D.C. Sara Dolinger, AHC’s Program Manager for Youth Development and a JMU Washington Semester alum, coordinated the experience.
The JMU Washington Semester is a long-standing program where students live, learn, and intern in D.C., gaining hands-on experience on Capitol Hill, with think tanks, and at nonprofit organizations. CCR students connected with college students who were recently in their shoes, receiving advice on course selection, crafting strong admissions essays, and getting involved in campus life.
“I worked at a think tank and grew a solid network in D.C. during my senior year of college through the JMU Washington Semester. I learned how to network and had a foot up on working in an office environment from my peers when I graduated,” Sara said. “I hope this experience helped our students see that’s possible for them, too.”
Learn more about AHC’s College and Career Readiness (CCR) program.
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Baltimore, MD 21202
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