A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, many students are continuing to learn in virtual or hybrid environments. To help meet their needs and provide learning and mentor opportunities, leaders from Georgia Power are participating in virtual events to connect with young men and women at every grade level.
Recently, John Cornelius, regional director for Metro South at Georgia Power led a virtual session with female students participating in the Atlanta Public Schools’ Governor’s Honors Program (GHP). Cornelius, a father of two daughters currently in college, shared with them about his background and career in engineering and the importance of women studying and working in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) field.
“Growing up in a part of the state that experienced power outages during summer storms, I often wondered how the power systems were impacted,” Cornelius told the students. “This eventually led to a career in the utility industry that allowed me to use critical thinking skills and consider how we can minimize the weather impacts on systems for those having similar experiences.”
He encouraged the high school students to consider which colleges of interest have engineering programs and to think about the top two industries they could see themselves in one day. He also shared his experience from a typical day in engineering at the state’s largest utility.
Additionally, Cornelius gave insights about virtual interview best practices, engineering process steps, and how to share examples using the S.T.A.R. technique.
The Atlanta Public Schools GHP is a residential summer program for academically gifted and/or talented 10th & 11th grade high school students.
