Inspiring youth to explore public service careers
County leaders recently welcomed more than 70 high school students and educators to the 625 Building auditorium for the county's third Growth and Opportunity (GO) Expo.
These events give local high school students the opportunity to learn about county government and explore public service careers by engaging directly with staff from a variety of service areas. Each event highlights a specific career theme – this one focused on civic engagement.
The day began with a small group of students touring the boardroom, learning about county services, and participating in a Q&A with Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde. Student participants were from the Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth's Youth OnBoard Initiative, Hennepin County's Transition Age Youth Advisory Board, BrookLynk and the Hennepin County Library Youth Advisory Committee.
All students and educators then convened for the full program, which opened with a welcome from Chief Workforce Development Officer May Xiong, who shared her perspective on the importance of civic engagement.
(Left to right) Workforce Development Director Nola Slagter-Johnson, Education & Digital Access Director Christa Mims and Chief Workforce Development Officer May Xiong gather in front of the GO Expo event sign.
"Civic engagement gives communities a voice in shaping solutions, and public service takes many forms – from frontline support to policy design to building systems that help people thrive," said Xiong. "No matter the role, each contribution helps create a more connected, resilient, and equitable community. Public service gives me a way to help build that collective foundation every day."
Students then heard from Board Chair Irene Fernando, who shared her career journey and encouraged youth to believe in their decision-making power. Afterward, Human Resources Workplace Inclusion Specialist Gabriel Alejandro Moreno led a round of civic engagement-themed trivia before students rotated through 10 career exploration stations showcasing work from various county services including Climate and Resiliency, Communications, the County Attorney's Office, District Court, Elections, Environmental Health, Facility Services Design and Construction, IT, Library, and Transportation Project Delivery.
Each of the stations was hands-on and interactive. Students explored different angles behind a camera lens, practiced voting, paged through books available through the library that are banned in other schools and libraries, participated in a safe water testing activity, and even tried on goggles that mimic alcohol impairment to better understand the risks of driving under the influence.
Partnering to maximize impact
Students benefited from departments working together on the event – Workforce Development partnered with Education Support Services to coordinate the pre-Expo experience in the board room for about 20 students. Students reported enjoying the opportunity to learn more about the county and the types of careers offered here through this experience.
In addition to cross-department collaboration, the county worked with several external partners, including local school districts, the Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth, BrookLynk, Hennepin West Education Consortium, Hennepin West Experience, and the Hennepin-Carver Workforce Development Board.
Looking ahead, Workforce Development will continue expanding partnerships with schools and community-based organizations that serve youth to support employment opportunities and strengthen pathways to careers in public service.
Work with Workforce
Managed through Workforce Development, Hennepin GO serves as the county's primary programmatic strategy to provide residents internships and employment pathways, which play a crucial role in eliminating disparities in employment, education and income.
Learn more about Workforce Development.