Career Dreams Made Here: GPS Your Future®

A teen stood at the exhibit hall entrance, hands on hips, staring angrily at the hustle and bustle of activities. The career expo portion of the 2013 GPS Your Future® was in full swing at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). 

At this career discovery event produced by EXP (then ITEP), 10th and 11th graders flitted from table to table, company to company, learning about career opportunities in various industries. And yet, the young man just stood there, visibly upset. 

Ann Burckle, the board member and event volunteer committee chair, approached him to see if he needed assistance.

“There’s no Marines here,” he said curtly. “I want to be a Marine, but they don’t have a booth. Why am I even here?” 

Ann informed him that the US Coast Guards and Port Police were there, and he may want to talk with them. He said he was not interested in any of those branches and stormed off into the crowd. 

At the end of the event, students gathered to share their experiences, not only to recap what they had learned that day but to give the EXP team some feedback. The same young man raised his hand. Ann braced for the worst. 

The student mentioned his interaction with Ann earlier, but at the end of the day, he was no longer interested in being a Marine. During a breakout session, he heard from Mike Schaadt, Director of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium at that time, and he became interested in career opportunities in marine biology and was now thinking about college. 

Ann was misty-eyed. This moment was exactly why GPS Your Future was created–an event that opened the eyes of young people to career options far beyond what they thought possible. 

Monique Romo ‘10 and Cameron Smith at the inaugural GPS Your Future in 2010.

Connecting the Dots between Classrooms and Careers

As EXP grew, so did the need to develop more programs that exposed students to real-world career opportunities and various careers, particularly in the maritime and international commerce industries. In 2010, an idea for a career discovery event surfaced at the board of directors meeting.

The late Julia Nagano, an EXP board member and Director of Public Affairs at the Port of Los Angeles, jumped at the chance to make this idea into reality. With her deep connections to the Port and the LA harbor community, she quickly secured a venue partner at the Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC), drummed up volunteers, and recruited sponsors and exhibitors.

Sponsored by the Port, Foreign Trade Association, and Watson Land Company, the inaugural GPS Your Future started with an informational career expo followed by breakout sessions between students and working professionals. More than 500 students from Phineas Banning, Carson, and San Pedro high schools attended the event, with 24 organizations in the exhibit hall and dozens of professionals in the break-out sessions.

Among the companies present was Yusen Logistics, which has supported EXP as an internship host and has provided volunteers for programming at Carson High School since 2007.

“It was a very exciting day to see these students come through the gym that we were in,” recalled Cameron Smith, Yusen’s Director of Operation Support. “I brought our student intern, Monique Romo ’10, with me. We just had our banner and some business cards, and students still stopped to chat with us.

“There were so many students who had never been on a college campus before. To watch them getting out of their comfort zone, walking around, and talking about the organizations in the room, and potential careers, all of them buzzing with excitement. It was very inspiring.” 

Glowing Up

By 2012, as EXP included more schools and academies, the GPS Your Future quickly outgrew the facilities at LAHC. Seeing the value of hosting the event at a local college campus, Julia contacted our long-standing partner, CSUDH, to host future events.

“This is a critical program that brings much-needed awareness to students from throughout our region about industries that are important to our economy,” said David Gamboa, now CSUDH Assistant Vice President of External Relations.

The following year, Julia passed the baton over to Ann Burckle. Working alongside EXP staff, Ann was determined to get as many students to the event as possible. 

“We figured out the secret to gaining student involvement was to appeal to the teachers,” said Ann. “So we attended teacher meetings, academy meetings, interviewed principals, and so on – all in order to get the educators' buy-in. Once they were on board, the attendance records increased exponentially.”

GPS Your Future was an easy sell to educators since the very first event! Captain George Kolarov, a guidance counselor at Phineas Banning High School and a prominent figure in EXP’s partnership, said of the inaugural event, “The majority of students found something that piqued their interest and gave them a few areas to dream about.”

Even the pandemic did not stop the discovery! The events were held virtually, overcoming the challenge of engaging with students online by allowing students to choose their own virtual breakout sessions and to compete with other students in an online scavenger hunt in the virtual expo hall. 

At its largest, GPS Your Future event hosted nearly 700 students, up to 50 exhibitors, and dozens of guest speakers. EXP has continued to expand the scope of the event to include a diverse range of industries and a more interactive learning experience for the students. 

Former Phineas Banning High School principal Rudy Mendoza loved seeing that moment the proverbial light that goes on for his students. “There's that spark, a discovery of what they may want for their careers, so they can start planning for when they get out of high school.” 

Unlocking the Door of Opportunity

For educators, GPS Your Future makes education real for their students, connecting the dots between what they’re learning in the classroom and the real world. 

For businesses, this event offers a chance to showcase their industries, attract future talent, and give back to the community.  

For the students, GPS Your Future is when they figure out their college and career dreams. Thinking back to his sophomore year at Carson High School, Eros Monzones ‘22 had only a vague idea of what he wanted to do. “I think that I wanted to work in corporate, nonprofit, or government roles, but I don’t even know what that would be like,” said Eros. 

Having talked with organizations like the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Office of Assemblymember Mike Gipson in the expo hall, things became clearer for him. “I had the chance to speak with professionals across various fields, which gave me valuable insights and practical knowledge,” said Eros. “They inspired me to work harder and smarter in pursuit of reaching that professional level one day.” 

Eros would go on to participate in more EXP programs like Industry Coaching and eventually the EXP Internship Program that matched him with the Port of Los Angeles. Currently attending California State University, Long Beach, Eros also interned at local nonprofits before returning to the Port as a student worker. 

“GPS Your Future was instrumental in shaping my career path,” he said. “I’m very grateful for that opportunity.” 

Fourteen years on, GPS Your Future continues to guide students through their own college and career journey. The EXP team is looking forward to this year’s event on November 7 as we bring an engaging event to 600+ students, showing the way to their future college and career success.

Join us here to learn EXP’s history as we celebrate our 25th anniversary from now through June 2025.