During La Salle’s Career Day on Wednesday, Jan. 29, students heard from professionals in various fields who gave insight into their careers, how they reached their current positions, and general advice moving forward from high school. A variety of sessions were offered for them to choose from, ranging from accounting and finance to healthcare, law, and nonprofit management.

“Today is an opportunity for you to engage, lean in, and ask questions,” President Mr. John Huelskamp said. “Not only are you going to gain wisdom, you are going to gain access.”

He then introduced the keynote speaker for the day, Dr. Kathryn Kolonic, a physician leader in the healthcare industry working at ExamWorks. 

Growing up in Milwaukie, Dr. Kolonic went to a few local schools, such as St. Agatha Catholic School, St. John the Baptist, and Christ the King. She later attended La Salle due to how deeply her family is connected to the school.

“The foundation of my life was built here at this school,” she said.

Shifting the conversation to perfectionism and how it can affect many, especially women, she said that “we feel a lot of pressure to be perfect.”

Dr. Kolonic encouraged students to move past perfectionism, and revealed that she actually failed a class in college. 

It was a bench researching class she took for biology; however, she was completely alone and said that she would end up talking to the petri dishes for comfort. “It was scary, it was lonely,” Dr. Kolonic said, before explaining that after the experience, she realized she wasn’t keen on the research aspect of medicine that would leave her by herself. 

Pursuing a major in theological religious studies as an undergraduate also supported this because “faith is a foundation of many people’s lives,” she said. “If you can connect with them, you can make them feel better.”

With a focus on values, Dr. Kolonic similarly expressed the importance of students figuring out what matters to them. 

“My personal values are authenticity and curiosity,” she said, adding how prior to these principles becoming a priority, she would often change herself to fit other people’s needs. “I want to be the same person in any room.”

Lastly, Dr. Kolonic emphasized trying different things, especially at La Salle — an environment she praised for the chance to do exactly that, as well as being brave and asking questions.

“Your story doesn’t end at that graduation,” she said. “You have a whole lifetime to figure that out.”

After the keynote speech, students went to their three selected sessions before rotating between lunch, a time to reflect on the day, an afternoon workshop of their choice, and the career fair, which took place in the gym.

At the end of the day, junior David Sharyan found an ignited interest in law after attending a session with a chief urologist, a law partner, and his favorite of the day, a U.S. Secret Service agent.

“It was very appealing to have a lot of options in what kind of law you practice,” he said.

A big takeaway he had was to not restrict yourself to one thing. 

“You don’t have to stick to something,” he said. “Especially don’t stick to it if you’re not passionate about it and you don’t love what you do.”

He liked it when speakers would branch out and tell their personal stories, such as their journey in how they got to where they are now. Sharyan recounted the session with the chief urologist in which he was told a story about a man who needed a corrective surgery, or otherwise he wouldn’t be able to travel due to physical health issues, and then later on, with the help of the speaker, he could go on a long road trip and see his grandkids.

“That was really remarkable,” he said. “Seeing the big impact that these professions can have on people.”