May 16, 2024
By Lily Anderson
Copy Editor
How do international corporations operate? How do companies ensure their products are safe? What makes employees feel fulfilled at work? These were some of the questions addressed during a field trip to Sika Corporation’s international headquarters in Lyndhurst on May 1.
Forty-two students from the Academic Competition Consumer Bowl, Future Business Leaders of America Club, personal finance classes and Wonder Girls Club attended the field trip.
After arriving at Sika, a global supplier of specialty chemicals and supplies for construction, industrial and automotive markets, the students were greeted by the company’s president, Rick Montani, and the head of safety and security, Arthur Van Houton.
Then, they met employees who taught them about human resources, marketing, research and development and sales in addition to taking them on a factory tour.
Mrs. Huntington said she and Ms. Jankowski, a fellow business and technology teacher, organized the field trip after receiving an invitation from Sika’s employees, who met LHS students during a personal finance field trip in January.
“We were very happy to accept their invitation,” Huntington said. “We wanted the students to experience the inner workings of a large corporation.”
Huntington said a key takeaway from the field trip is that it is okay to graduate high school without having decided on a career path.
“The trip opened my eyes to a new set of job opportunities and careers that I never thought about or knew existed.”
“Many of the employees who spoke with us said they didn’t have it figured out when they were in high school. In fact, for some of them, what they went to college for was not where they landed,” Huntington said.
She said an impressive aspect of Sika–which employs 33,000 workers worldwide and operates in over 100 countries–is its dedication to identifying its workers’ strengths and coaching them.
“They really look for the potential that the employee has, training and placing them in the area that best fits their personality, talents, skills and experience,” Huntington said.
Senior Erick Vergara, who signed up for the field trip out of curiosity, said he was impressed by what he learned about Sika.
“The company is not just a vendor of construction materials. They research, develop, manufacture, ship, sell and market their own products in house,” Vergara said.
He said his favorite part of the field trip was learning about quality control.
“We tested many products to see if they were up to the quality that Sika strives for,” Vergara said. “We were given the hands-on experience that those employees would have on a regular work day.”
Sophomore Debra Ogunbowale said she wanted to go on the field trip to explore potential careers.
“Getting to see the different machines and workers talk about how much they loved their jobs was the most exciting part of the experience,” Ogunbowale said. “The trip opened my eyes to a new set of job opportunities and careers that I never thought about or knew existed.”
Ogunbowale said she will use what she learned at Sika in her professional life.
“I learned communication skills like public speaking and got to network with successful and empowering adults,” Ogunbowale said. “I would definitely go on this trip again if it is offered next year.”
