On February 26, 2026, students gathered for a powerful and reflective career exploration workshop here at Skyline College, designed to challenge traditional ideas about success and professional pathways. Promise Scholars Counselor Manuel facilitated the event, along with Manny Verdin and Career Counselor Salvador Victoria, as a collaboration between Black and Brown Scholars and Career Services. The goal of the workshop was to create a space where students could pause, reflect, and examine the messages they have inherited about work, success, and career expectations.
The workshop invited students to reflect on what we call “career scripts,” the beliefs and expectations many of us absorb from family, culture, and society long before we ever choose a major or profession. Rather than focusing only on resumes or job searches, the session encouraged students to explore the deeper narratives shaping their career decisions.
Throughout the event, Salvador and Manny shared parts of their professional journeys, reflecting on the expectations and messages that shaped how they once thought about their careers. Sharing their stories helped set the tone for the space created, one where students felt comfortable being honest about the pressures, hopes, and questions that often come with thinking about the future.
One of the central activities of the workshop, called the “Script Swap,” invited students to map out a belief they had inherited about success or career choice and then share it with a partner. Students read each other’s scripts aloud, which created a powerful moment of reflection. Hearing their own words spoken by someone else helped many students realize that some expectations they had always seen as fixed truths could be understood as narratives open to reflection and change.
The activity sparked thoughtful conversations across the room, with many students reflecting on the balance between honoring their families’ sacrifices and defining their own goals and values.
By the end of the workshop, students had not only explored where their career beliefs came from but had also begun thinking about how they might revise or redefine their own professional stories moving forward.
Events like this reflect the ongoing commitment of Black and Brown Scholars and Career Services to create spaces where students can explore identity, purpose, and career development in ways that feel meaningful and culturally grounded.
For many of us in the room, the workshop served as an important reminder: while we may inherit the first draft of our career story, we still can shape the chapters that come next.
Article by: Manuel Verdin
