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It’s not always easy knowing what you want to do when you grow up, but on April 24, hundreds of young Rebels got a taste of career life.

Children of all ages explored campus and participated in fun, educational activities ranging from trying on a judge’s robe in the Thomas & Mack Moot Court and checking out Hospitality Hall’s executive kitchen to creating stop-motion films and experimenting with nitrogen and ice cream.

Take Your Child to Work Day started around 8 a.m.-ish for most with an opportunity to get a commemorative Rebel Card and some Rebel swag in the Student Union. 

The event has become annual tradition for many employees and their families. Garrett Hedges, a Facilities Management supervisor, has been taking his three daughters — 11-year-old twins, River and Aspen, and 10-year-old Kenna — for the last 10 years. The girls even had their ID cards from previous years to show off.

When Hedges asked the twins about what they were looking forward to the most, they answered diplomatically, “Hanging with you.”

'No Objections' to Being Judge for a Day

Many attendees then headed to the William S. Boyd School of Law to slip on a black robe and pose behind the judge’s bench while using a gavel to call for order.

Scott Hoffman, assistant director and chair for Care Management and the 51�Թ������ܿƴ� Support Team, attended with his daughter, Rose. Though she was a bit shy about being interviewed, Hoffman says his daughter knows that his role at 51�Թ������ܿƴ� involves “helping people” and that’s good enough for her. 

“We like seeing the different activities and booths,” he says.

Also lining up to become a judge for a day was Ry Closson, whose mother, Marde Closson, is the director of field education for the School of Social Work.

Ry, a fourth grader at Dean La Mar Allen Elementary School, says she likes to play basketball and flag football. She’s also interested in law so was excited to visit the moot court.

“It’s a cool place,” Ry says of 51�Թ������ܿƴ�. She’s already a campus veteran. This is only her second year attending the Take Your Child to Work Day, but she’s often drops in on her mom at work.

From 'Order in the Court' to 'May I Take Your Order'?

51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality cooked up fun activities (and a table filled with snacks) for visiting kids and their parents. Using colored markers, attendees decorated a chef’s hat while enjoying a spectacular view of the mountains.

Then were then invited into the executive kitchen where Hospitality’s Director of Events & Engagement Missy Arendash snapped a souvenir photo, giving anyone hoping to be the next Guy Fieri an off-the-chain experience.

Officer Joe Alliyani of University Police Department brought his 10-year-old daughter, Alora. A fourth grader at David M. Cox Elementary School, Alora says she likes singing, dancing, and playing instruments.

She wants to be a zoologist when she grows up, and revealed that the animal drawn on her chef’s hat represents her true passion: elephants. Alliyani says that his daughter’s interest in the pachyderms was passed down to her from his own father, who grew up surrounded by them in Myanmar (Burma at the time).

From the Kitchen to Putting Out Kitchen Fires

At the pavilion near Frank and Estella Beam Hall, families to learn about fire safety. Risk, Safety & Management gave kids a chance to use a fire extinguisher to safely put out a real fire and pick up their own red or pink firefighter hat.

In the line to pick up their goodies were friends and colleagues Jessica Soria, director of communications for Lee Business School, and Daniela Rincon, program manager for the Center for Business and Economic Research. Soria brought her 5-year-old son, Austin, and 2-year-old daughter, Avery. Both children took advantage of free donuts while visiting their mom’s office in BEH.

Rincon was here with her 6-year-old daughter, Kira.

“She works on a computer,” says Kira of what her mom does at 51�Թ������ܿƴ�. Kira is currently in kindergarten; her favorite school subjects are the “hard stuff.” 

The activity she was looking forward to most was the Books for All Ages event held at the Teacher Development & Resources Library Open House.

“I like to read,” says Kira, whose favorite book is Kat and Juju by Kataneh Vahdani. This is her third time coming to the event, and she says she really enjoys the activities because they're “fun.”

Crafting Some Unforgettable Memories

Another avid young reader had her sights set on decorating her own tote bag in the Xeric Garden at the event being held by the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art. Scarlett, who recently celebrated her eighth birthday, is the daughter of Steven Slivka, director of communications for the School of Integrated Health Sciences. 

“We did [the Barrick activity] last year and were there for almost two hours,” says Slivka. 

The father-daughter duo started their day with a Starbucks drink, waited in line for a Rebel card, and went on to meticulously decorate paper chef hats. Afterward, they grabbed a lunch provided by sponsors Cafe Zupas and McDonald's and had a fun time watching the dance party held at the Alumni Amphitheatre.

“I love it,” Slivka says of the day-long event. “This is the first job I’ve had that I’ve had the opportunity to take Scarlett to work.”

He’s not sure if Scarlett totally gets what he does, but he tries to incorporate parts of his job during the day so that she can see him at work.

Scarlett, who takes a variety of dance classes, may not know exactly what her dad does at 51�Թ������ܿƴ�, but she knows that she wants to be a teacher.

Slivka has another reason to find joy in bringing his daughter to 51�Թ������ܿƴ�. It’s where he met his wife, Marissa Moya, while studying at the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies in 2013.

He jokes, “If it wasn’t for 51�Թ������ܿƴ�, Marissa and I wouldn’t have met, and Scarlett wouldn’t be here.” 

Behind the Event: 51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s Women’s Council

For the past decade, the Women’s Council’s Family Advocacy Task Force has organized Take Your Child to Work Day with support from the offices of the President and Executive Vice President and Provost. 

Shellie Brattain, senior software developer and supervisor in the Office of Information Technology, has served on the steering committee of the Women's Council for the past 10 years. She has co-chaired this task force for the past eight years alongside Dana Angioni, academic advisor and assistant director of Leadership Programs for Lee Business School.

The Family Advocacy Task Force has been putting on a Take Your Child To Work Day Picnic for more than a decade, but originally, kids had to stick with their parents throughout the work day, even enduring hours-long meetings.

In 2018, after taking in staff feedback, the day’s agenda was changed to include more child-friendly activities across campus.

“Committee members noted that one department or another put on an activity for the kids,” says Brattain. “That was the birth of the idea: Why not ask all departments across campus to host an activity for all of the kids on that day, and we would be in charge of marketing their activity? That way more kids could see all of the different areas of campus.”

While the number of attendees isn’t tracked, Brattain says that at least 600 RSVP’d for last year’s picnic and a similar number had signed up this year.

And, though she’s heard from many colleagues about how much their children have enjoyed all of the various activities throughout the years, one anecdote sticks out the most.

“A colleague told me after the first event we’d held that she brought her high school children,” Brattain recalls. “They had shown no interest in going to college whatsoever. After the activities and events of that day and seeing what the university had to offer, they pestered their mom with loads of questions about college life. I believe all of them went on to pursue college degrees.”

Even if this is her last year as co-chair of the Family Advocacy Task Force, Brattain says that she doesn’t expect it will be the last time she’ll help with the event.

“I think it’s crucial to engage with and support our 51�Թ������ܿƴ� families and their children because they are the future of 51�Թ������ܿƴ�,” she says.