On November 4, 2010, Michael McKennon was honored to be able to give back to his Alma Mater, California State University at Fullerton (CSUF), through the "Professor for a Day" program. This was the third consecutive year Michael participated in the program. Michael was allowed to speak with a “Critical Thinking” honors’ class filled with the exceptional freshman students at CSUF. “This was a very insightful and creative group of students I was able to share my time with. I asked each student what they are doing to make a difference in their respective fields to ensure they have opportunities upon graduation. Their answers were surprising; most students were actively involved in some regard, but they admitted that they could do more", said Michael. In addition, Michael communicated the need to make a difference in their respective fields by donating their time in academia and associations which enhance positions in their respective careers. At the end of the instruction, Michael had various individuals thank him for his time and the information provided. Once such individual added the following:
"Dear Mr. Michael McKennon:
Thank you for sharing your experiences today with my Critical Thinking Honors class. I truly appreciate your advise to start networking with teachers, peers, and possibly start looking into internships to get our names out there. You did not simply state that we have to or should network but you also explained why it is important to network. We, students, often hear from other people that we need to start networking since our first year of college to build strong relationships throughout our college years. Some students ignore this because they believe they have time to start in the next few years. Thank you again for taking time out of your busy day to give a truly motivational speech.
Sincerely,
Natassja Romero"
Based on the feedback and appreciation received, Michael is looking forward to next year's opportunity. Upon returning to work that day, Michael expressed the following to the firm personnel: "Sometimes we lose sight of our responsibilities as professionals to make a difference in our communities. I feel great reward in impacting these fine young honor students."
You can view Michael's Certificate here.