Career Exploration: Architecture, Business and Finance

Value Schools Students at Public Storage
 

In 2024, Public Storage chose to support Value Schools as their Non-Profit Organization of the Year.

Value Schools Foundation Board member Annie Wu works with students to redesign a Public Storage facility damaged during a hurricane.Value Schools students recently participated in an engaging Career Exploration event at Public Storage's corporate headquarters in Glendale, California. The event, organized by Foundation Board member Annie Wu, provided students with valuable insights into various career paths within the company.

During the day, students had the opportunity to interact with executive leaders from different departments, including management, operations, site management, data analysis, social media, architecture, and finance. The event featured interactive creative projects that challenged students to apply their skills and knowledge in real-world scenarios.

"I enjoyed every moment at Public Storage. Just learning about how everything works and how much the employees loved their job reinforced my hope of pursuing a career in architecture." – Taken from our survey, 11th Grade Student, University Prep Value

Julian V. displays his award winning design.One of the main challenges involved designing a storage facility site using data to determine the most profitable use of space with different sized storage units. Julian V., an 8th-grade student from Downtown Value School, emerged as the winner of this competition by creating the most profitable storage site design.

Another exciting task required students to design a new storage facility for a hurricane-affected property in Houston, Texas. Working with Public Storage architects, students enthusiastically tackled this 30-minute challenge, incorporating elements such as a water retention pond, parking, and customer and office spaces. Lastly, they presented their designs to the group, showcasing their creativity and problem-solving skills.

Throughout the day, students participated in diverse competitions that challenged their skills in data analysis, financial planning, management strategies, and architectural design. Throughout the day, students participated in diverse competitions that challenged their skills in data analysis, financial planning, management strategies, and architectural design.
Throughout the day, students participated in diverse competitions that challenged their skills in data analysis, financial planning, management strategies, and architectural design. 
 
Throughout the day, students participated in diverse competitions that challenged their skills in data analysis, financial planning, management strategies, and architectural design. Throughout the day, students participated in diverse competitions that challenged their skills in data analysis, financial planning, management strategies, and architectural design. Throughout the day, students participated in diverse competitions that challenged their skills in data analysis, financial planning, management strategies, and architectural design.

The event also included a networking lunch, allowing students to interact with Public Storage professionals in a more relaxed setting. This provided an excellent opportunity for students to learn more about potential career paths and gain valuable insights from industry experts.

"This event showed me the many interesting careers at Public Storage and all the hard work that goes into each of them. Even though I want to be a veterinarian, I learned that helping others in your work place is important." – Taken from our survey, 11th Grade Student

The day concluded with a visit to a local storage facility, where students participated in a hands-on competition. Working in teams, they assembled boxes and packed them efficiently into storage units, further developing their teamwork and problem-solving abilities.
 
 
Working in teams, they assembled boxes and packed them efficiently into storage units, further developing their teamwork and problem-solving abilities. Working in teams, they assembled boxes and packed them efficiently into storage units, further developing their teamwork and problem-solving abilities. Working in teams, they assembled boxes and packed them efficiently into storage units, further developing their teamwork and problem-solving abilities.
 
Career Exploration events like this exemplify our commitment to expanding students' access to educational and career opportunities. By connecting classroom learning with real-world experiences, we expand our students' thinking and ignite their imaginations, providing opportunities for them to envision their success in education and in life.

“This experience taught me that teamwork is very important because you can do more together than you can do by yourself.” – Taken from our survey, 10th Grade Student

We are grateful to Annie Wu and the executive team at Public Storage for their role in inspiring students and showcasing the diverse career opportunities within their company.
 
We are grateful to Annie Wu and the executive team at Public Storage for their role in inspiring students and showcasing the diverse career opportunities within their company.
 
We collect surveys from our students after each Career Exploration Event. Here are the results from this event:

"Career Exploration events like this inspire me to work harder at school"
10 of 26 Strongly Agreed, 14 Agreed, and 2 were not sure

"Value Schools Foundation should create more Career Exploration events like this"
21 of 26 Strongly Agreed and 5 Agreed

"I would recommend this career exploration event to my friends"
13 of 26 Strongly Agreed and 13 Agreed

“I would like to thank Ms. Annie Wu for creating this experience. I will be pursuing architecture as a career.” – Estefany, 11th  Grade