Connecting generations of experts
Business Career Panel at Schreiber High School
Our first big event bringing six local experts in various business fields to Schreiber high school where all students to ask questions and network. #careerbusinesspanel #Schreiberhighschool #studentleadership
Elina Kamensky
10/5/20267 min read
What I Learned from Our Business Career Panel
For our Business Career Panel that took place on October 1, 2026 at Schreiber High School, Career Connection Club brought together six professionals from very different areas of business: finance, investment banking, law, advertising, media, and investing.
The panelists were Danielle Greenberg, Gina Kashinsky, Sam Khalil, Jim Therkalsen, Michelle Vincent, and Sergey Kamensky.
What made the event especially interesting was that even though all six panelists are very accomplished now, almost none of their careers followed a perfectly straight line.
The first part of the evening was a rapid-fire Q&A, followed by time for students to approach the panelists directly, introduce themselves, ask follow-up questions, and start building their own networks. That second part was probably just as important as the panel itself and it was exciting how students, shy at first, put the panelists' main advice to practice - connect with people, most adults want to see young people succeed!
Quote I loved
“Build a cabinet for yourself.” Danielle Greenberg used the idea of a president’s cabinet to explain mentorship. Instead of looking for one perfect mentor who can guide you through every part of your life, she suggested building a group of people with different strengths. One person might help you understand an industry. Another might give better advice about career decisions. Someone else might help you think through work-life balance or a major transition. She also pointed out that your “cabinet” should change over time. The people you need at 22 may not be the people you need at 40.
Actionable Insights
Do not assume your first career idea will be your final one. Gina Kashinsky originally wanted to work in fashion. Sam Khalil started in finance before deciding to go to law school. Jim Therkalsen went to business school before discovering that he really wanted to write and work in advertising. Michelle Vincent entered college pre-med before moving into business and advertising. Their careers changed because they paid attention to what they actually enjoyed.
Sometimes learning what you do not like is useful. Sam described starting in finance and realizing fairly quickly that it was not the right fit. Instead of seeing that experience as wasted time, he noticed that he was drawn to the lawyers around him because they seemed like problem solvers. That realization eventually led him to law school and financial restructuring.
Networking is not optional if opportunities do not come directly to you. Several panelists attended schools that were not major recruiting targets for the jobs they wanted. Danielle talked about reaching out to alumni and building relationships. Gina described having to find her way into Goldman Sachs without coming from a traditional pipeline. Sergey also discussed how important professors and connections were in helping him access opportunities in New York.
Networking does not mean immediately asking someone for a job. Danielle described networking as reaching out to people, learning what they do, asking thoughtful questions, and building relationships. The job opportunity may come later.
Cold outreach can work. Michelle told a story about learning that a senior executive at Forbes had once held the same position she had at her college newspaper. She found his email address, reached out even though they had never met, and that connection eventually helped lead to her first professional opportunity.
Be willing to do work other people do not want to do. Jim wanted to move into the creative side of advertising, but he did not immediately have that job. He took overflow assignments at night and on weekends, built experience, and eventually proved that he could do the work.
Early effort compounds. Several panelists talked about working extremely hard early in their careers. The point was not that everyone should work unsustainable hours forever, but that the first few years can be a period when you build skills, credibility, and options.
If you are not at a “target school,” you may need to create your own path. Danielle, Gina, and Sergey all discussed how school recruiting pipelines can affect access to certain industries. Their answer was not to give up. It was to compensate with networking, preparation, persistence, and taking advantage of every opening.
Bring a solution, not just a problem. Danielle gave one of the most practical pieces of advice of the night. If you have an issue at work, do not just walk into your manager’s office and complain. Explain the problem and come with a possible solution. Your idea may not be accepted, but you show that you are thinking constructively.
It is okay to make mistakes. Danielle also emphasized that everybody makes them. What matters is whether you own the mistake, admit it, learn from it, and move forward.
Advocate for yourself. Gina said she wishes she had done more of this earlier in her career. Working hard is important, but you cannot assume other people will always notice your work or know what opportunities you want. You have to learn how to speak up for yourself.
Find sponsors, not only mentors. Gina also talked about the importance of having people who will actively support you and advocate for you when opportunities come up. Advice is useful, but sponsorship can directly affect your career.
Curiosity shows in an interview. Sam emphasized that genuine interest is hard to fake. If someone is excited about the work and sincerely wants to understand it, interviewers can usually tell. They can also tell when someone is just going through the motions.
Preparation matters more than trying to sound impressive. Danielle said you do not need the perfect school, perfect grades, or perfect major. But you should know about the company, know something about the person interviewing you, and come prepared with thoughtful questions.
Humility matters. Danielle specifically mentioned humility as one of the things she notices in young candidates. Confidence is useful, but acting as though you already know everything is not.
Positive energy is memorable. Gina described an intern who stood out because she came in early, was prepared, smiled, asked questions, participated, and genuinely seemed excited to be there. None of those things required a special credential.
Get up from your desk and talk to people. Gina strongly encouraged students not to rely entirely on email, text, or messaging. Human relationships are still built through actual conversations.
Do not automatically eliminate yourself from an opportunity. Michelle pointed out that people often decide not to apply because they do not meet every listed qualification. Her advice was not to assume that you have to check every box before putting yourself forward.
Know everything on your résumé. Sergey warned that anything you put on a résumé is fair game in an interview. If you list a project, internship, activity, or skill, you should be able to explain exactly what you did and answer detailed questions about it.
Learn to tell your story clearly. Sergey emphasized clarity. An interviewer should not have to sort through a long, confusing explanation to figure out what you did. Practice explaining your experience in a simple way.
Practice interviewing before the real interview. Sergey suggested using parents, friends, teachers, counselors, or anyone willing to listen. The more times you explain your story, the more natural it becomes.
Your human skills may become more valuable because of AI, not less. The panelists agreed that AI is already changing many parts of their work. In finance, law, and investing, it can process data and automate repetitive analysis. In advertising, it can generate ideas and content. But the panelists kept coming back to judgment, communication, creativity, empathy, and critical thinking.
AI still needs to be checked. Danielle pointed out that even if AI is right nine times out of ten, the tenth mistake can be extremely costly in finance. Human judgment still matters.
Do not fight AI. Learn how to use it. Danielle was very direct about this. AI is not going away. Students should learn different tools and understand how to use them to become more effective.
AI should free you to do higher-value work. Gina described AI as a way to process information faster and reduce repetitive tasks, giving professionals more time for strategy, innovation, and client relationships.
Critical thinking becomes more important when information becomes easier to generate. Sam explained that people will increasingly need to sort through huge amounts of information, decide what matters, and communicate it clearly.
Creativity and taste still matter. Jim made the point that AI might generate 100 headlines, but someone still has to know which one is actually good. Understanding humor, sarcasm, emotion, and human behavior remains important.
Do not lose basic communication skills. Sergey warned that students growing up with AI should still learn how to write a clear email, explain something, make a request, and speak confidently with another person.
Women are entering traditionally male-dominated industries in larger numbers, but senior-level representation is still uneven. Danielle and Gina explained that finance entry classes can now be much closer to 50/50, but the numbers often change as careers progress. Sam described a similar trend in law.
Workplace culture matters. Danielle emphasized that getting women into an industry is only part of the issue. Firms also need cultures that allow people to stay, grow, have families, and continue advancing.
Flexibility has changed since COVID. Gina said the pandemic showed many companies that certain jobs could be done more flexibly than they had previously believed, and that this has influenced policies around work and parental leave.
You do not need to imitate someone else’s path to succeed. Michelle talked about how companies increasingly value different perspectives and experiences. The right workplace should see those differences as useful.
Do not focus only on what you are “good at.” Sam said that when he was younger, he thought a lot about what he should do and what success was supposed to look like. He wishes he had spent more time asking what kind of work would actually make him happy.
Do not box yourself in too early. Jim and Michelle both emphasized staying open to unexpected opportunities. If you decide too early that only one specific career is acceptable, you can miss something that might fit you much better.
Early in your career, prioritize learning. Sergey said that he often tried to take on the hardest opportunity available because challenging work early on can open more doors later.
One conversation can matter more than you expect. This idea came up over and over again. A professor, alumnus, executive, coworker, manager, or even a cold email can lead to an opportunity that changes your direction.
Final Thoughts
What stayed with me most after this panel was how different everyone’s path was. It is easy in high school to look at successful adults and assume they somehow knew exactly what they wanted to do from the beginning. Most of the panelists did not. Some changed fields completely. Some discovered their careers late. Some started in jobs they disliked. Some had to work around the fact that their schools were not part of the usual recruiting pipeline. What led them eventually to success was asking questions, talking to people, networking and working hard.
