Local nurse and entrepreneur visit Latham students on Career Day

Career Day Part 2: Jennie Macdonald, BSN, RN, and Sarah Mason, owner of Cape Cod Nail Company, shared highlights of their professions with Latham School students last week. (Four other guest presenters are also being featured in this 3-part blog series on Children’s Services’ Career Day). Jennie instantly connected with students when she introduced herself as “Colleen’s mother” – Colleen is one of Latham’s summer interns featured last month on our blog. Jennie talked with students about the many career locations nurses can choose from, as well as the education and skills required to be a nurse. She previously worked as a pediatric nurse in Boston and she now works in a local school. One of the most important parts of a nurse’s job, Jennie said, is using their tools and their senses to get clues and make assessments. “We use our eyes and our ears – listening to what a person is saying and getting clues like a detective, and we put it all together to figure out how to help you,” Jennie told students. “Nursing is a great job for anyone interested in science or medicine.”

Sarah Mason also volunteered to talk with our students about her career path to starting a service business. She was educated at Cape Cod Tech in Harwich, becoming a licensed nail technician and creating her own business as the first mobile nail salon to serve the greater Cape Cod area. “It’s great to be my own boss, and people always feel good after a manicure or pedicure,” Sarah said. “It’s such a nice treat for people – and I love seeing the before and after.” Students enjoyed Sarah’s fun stories about the colors she selected for her line of nail polishes – especially the custom grey polish named “We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat.” The color of the polish intrigued them – it resembles the top of a great white shark – and students also liked the idea that $3 from every bottle of this polish sold is donated to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy in Chatham. Sarah said she is currently selling 26 different colors of polish, including her popular blue “Hello Hydrangea.”

Throughout last Friday’s presentations, students enjoyed the interactive learning experience and asked great questions. Latham Centers is grateful to the community members who shared their time and warm encouragement at Career Day. Tomorrow’s blog will feature Josh Brodeur from the Coast Guard.

Photo caption: Community members presented at Career Day on Friday, August 17th, including: P.O.2 Josh Brodeur (Coast Guard); Lt. George Bausch (Brewster Police Department), Paul Anderson and Jeffrey Sabatino (Brewster Water Department), Jennie Macdonald (Registered Nurse), and Sarah Mason (Cape Cod Nail Company).