Yore ‘20 Makes Connections and Creates Opportunities

In college, students are encouraged to connect with professionals in their field and take advantage of networking opportunities. As a high school junior, Will Yore ’20 is already doing this, shadowing doctors and sharing meals with food critics as he explores his diverse career interests.
“I enjoyed every one of those experiences, and I’m interested in exploring possibilities for these careers and where I can go,” Will said.
 
Earlier this year, Will shadowed his doctors: Dr. Sam Sanders, St. Andrew’s team orthopedic surgeon, and his pediatrician from growing up in Los Angeles, Dr. Jay Gordon. He observed Dr. Sanders as he treated patients suffering from various injuries and sat in on Dr. Gordon’s appointments with infants and teenagers.
 
“I think the biggest thing for me is that I got to see the personal connection doctors have with their patients,” Will said. “The first check-up was with a newborn baby, then a star high school football player. It was interesting to see how doctors nurture their relationship with patients as they grow up. It was interesting to see it from the other side - I know (Dr. Gordon) did that with me - and how he can have that connection with everybody.”
 
He said these experiences inspired him to think about how he might make an impact on the lives of other people when he’s older. Medical science isn’t his only career interest, however.
 
Since he was 10 years old, Will has maintained a food blog on Tumblr, where he posts reviews of restaurants he's dined in around the country. His parents encouraged him to explore what food writing might be like as a career, so he emailed Tom Sietsema, the Washington Post food critic.
 
Sietsema did not respond to the first email, so Will followed up. That second email, it turned out, would be Will’s ticket to what he called the “opportunity of a lunchtime.” Sietsema invited him to lunch at Mirabelle, his favorite restaurant in Washington, D.C., and told him that Will’s perseverance made the difference.
 
“It gave me a lot more confidence to pursue opportunities I want to have,” Will said. “I’ve always heard people say, ‘shoot for the stars,’ but never took it literally. Now I have a lot more confidence to reach out to people who may be a bit of a reach.”
 
Will said he is planning to shadow more food critics and industry professionals this summer and seek internship opportunities at restaurants. When he’s 18, Will hopes to scrub up and shadow Dr. Sanders in the operating room. He recommends shadowing and networking to his classmates.
 
“I think it can never hurt to start doing things early and get ahead,” Will said. “If I can start doing it now, I can get more internship and shadow opportunities, and develop those connections that can help you in your career.”
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St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is a private, coeducational college preparatory day school for students in preschool (Age 2) through grade 12, located in Potomac, Maryland.