Educate an Under-served Child in Indianapolis

As part of the College & Careers program in Indianapolis, each Spring all senior students participate in speed interview sessions with community professionals. “It’s a really great opportunity to practice their job interview skills and get feedback,” says Paige Pittman, Christel House Watanabe High School Principal, “before it’s the real deal.”

The mock job interviews are organized to give students fast 10-minute sessions with three different professionals according to Kara Moreland, College & Careers Administrator. “We give them the experience of what a job interview would be like,” she says. Afterwards, students reflect on how they did from their perspective. They then compare their perceptions to written feedback from the professionals. Ann Schneider, retired Director of Internal Communications at Allison Transmission, enjoyed the interaction with the students. “The challenges of COVID came up in the interviews and it’s a problem they’ve had to deal with.” She says constructive criticism is key to helping the students improve their skills. “There are kids here I would have hired.” Daisy, who will be studying biology at the University of Indianapolis in the fall, says the speed interviews were especially exciting for her. “I loved it – I was offered a job!” She found the experience useful for the entire class. “It’s setting us up for the future.”  

It began as an assignment for the Introduction to Entrepreneurship class at Christel House Indianapolis. It’s now a clothing store providing real-world business experience for students – and proving a valuable service for classmates in need.

The CHM Boutique (Christel House/Manual) allows students to shop for clothes, shoes and accessories, anonymously, at no charge. Robin Clark teaches business courses at the high school. With a background as an entrepreneur, she guided students through developing their clothing store concept, identifying their target audience, and marketing their new business. “I think the best way to teach them is hands-on,” Clark says. “You can’t teach entrepreneurship out of a book.” Sophomores Yasmin, Dyann, and Johanna (pictured L-R) are part of a team of over 75 students involved in the project. “I enjoy doing this,” says Johanna. “And we’re helping the community.” Students collect donations from family, friends, and even from teachers at the school. “There have been piles and piles of clothes coming in,” says Yasmin. Outfits gifted by the late Christel DeHaan, Christel House Founder, are also available at the Boutique. Clark warms as she shares how a student, hoping to go to the prom, explored the Boutique. “She found a perfect dress and asked, “How much do I owe you?” I told her it’s free…and her eyes just lit up,” says Clark. “That’s why we’re doing this.” Then she adds, smiling, “She’s coming back for shoes.”