The Pittsburgh Regional Compact wants to show young people there are jobs in this area.
About 20 North Allegheny Senior High School students spoke with leaders earlier this month at the American Eagle Outfitters corporate office in the South Side and toured the facility for a career awareness activity sponsored by the group.
The compact is an employer-educator partnership designed to prepare high school students for careers in Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Paul Leger, senior vice president of the Allegheny Conference, which sponsors the initiative, says the compact's goal is to reach 3,000 students this year.
"What we want is to get this sort of activity embedded in their curriculum, so kids know what kind of opportunities are in Pittsburgh," Leger says.
Students met with job recruiters, merchandise buyers, the chief financial officer and the president of American Eagle. They got a sneak peek at the spring 2008 clothing line in American Eagle's lab.
Meredith Feingold, a senior at North Allegheny, will leave her hometown in the fall to major in fashion design at the University of South Carolina. But after her day at American Eagle, she hopes to return.
"It kind of makes me want to come back to Pittsburgh after graduating," Feingold said. "It seems like there are so many opportunities."
Olivia Defazio wants to do more than just stay in Pittsburgh after she graduates from college; she wants to return to American Eagle.
"The atmosphere is really nice," said Defazio, a senior who is considering a career in marketing or advertising. "It seems like a great place to work."
Nancy Boyle, marketing teacher at North Allegheny, said the district and teachers strive to offer experiences like the students had at American Eagle.
"Seeing firsthand and seeing people in the industry brings realism," Boyle says. "We can talk until we're blue in the face, but these people are in the industry.
"It's the extra things like this that put it all together and make them think about their future. They have to see all the different aspects and the people who live it day-in and day-out."
Susan McGalla, president of American Eagle, said her company takes part in the compact to get students involved.
"It's just about making them think about what they want to do," McGalla said.
She stressed to the students that they need to love what they do and work hard. If they follow her advice, McGalla said, "You can live your life, love your job."
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