Msgr. Pace High welcomes professionals, alumni for Career Day

By Rene David Basulto - Monsignor Edward Pace HS

MIAMI GARDENS | Around 55 professionals from a plethora of careers shared their expertise at Msgr. Edward Pace High School’s annual Career Day Feb. 5.

Students spent the day traveling from class to class, learning about jobs as varied as engineers and politicians, artists and flight medics. They got a first-hand look at K9 dog units, a bomb defusing robot from the City of Miami’s Bomb Squad, and a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue helicopter which landed in Pace’s soccer field. Marcos De La Rosa, City of Coral Gables deputy fire chief and a Pace class of 1986 alumnus, was on the field as part of this presentation.  

In fact, many of the professionals were alumni returning to their alma mater, including Miami Lakes Councilmen Nelson Rodriguez, a class of 1987 alumnus, and Manny Cid, a class of 2002 alumnus.

Christopher Caproni, a trial attorney with Kanner & Pintaluga who graduated from Pace in 2008, was one such attendee. He spoke about his job as a lawyer, his time at the University of Florida’s law school, and how students can stay focused on their work. He commented on how students asked him thoughtful questions such as if he had ever defended someone who was guilty.

Another alumnus was Jenny Perez, from the class of 2005. Perez is a pop artist based in Wynwood whose art can be found in museums, street murals, and even the medal ribbons for the 2016 Miami Marathon, which she designed. She spoke with students about how art could be turned into a feasible fulltime career and later commented about how nostalgic she felt about returning to Pace.

“(Pace) is home,” Perez said. “It feels the same, and the values are the same.”