### Best Buddies Workplace Readiness Workshop Career Panel

**Schedule:** 07/29/2026, 09:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time  
**Duration:** 50 minutes

##### Description  
Hello,  
My name is Zoe Richards. I am a Manager of Transitions at Best Buddies. Best Buddies is a nonprofit dedicated to providing services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) via friendship, leadership, employment, independent living, and family support programs. In my role, I provide workshops focused on self-advocacy, workplace readiness, and job exploration to high school students with IDD. I'm requesting at least 3 professionals who work in the fields listed below to participate in a virtual career fair with some of my students during our summer workshop. During this panel, you will be asked to talk about your profession, share your experiences, and provide helpful advice to the students. I'm open to a variety of backgrounds, and everyone is welcome to join, but if you have a disability, it would be amazing for the students to hear from individuals similar to them. Thank you for taking the time to read my message, and I hope that you consider joining this opportunity! Please reach out if you have any questions.

P.S. Closer to the session date, I will provide instructions on how best to present and communicate with my students to ensure the experience is accessible for everyone!

##### Extra Information  
**Session Type:** Career Guest Speaker  
**Target Grade Levels:** High School  
**Subject Areas:** College & Career Readiness  
**Career Clusters:**  
- Arts, A/V Technology & Communications  
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics  
- Transportation, Distribution & Logistics  
**No. of Students:** 20  
**Topic:** Best Buddies Workplace Readiness Workshop Career Panel  
**Industry:** Art coach, training/sports/basketball, Customer Service (Retail), Acting, Music, rocket scientist, astronaut  
**Skills/Specialties:**  
- Space Systems  
- Customer Service  
- Disabilities in the Workplace  
- Leadership  
- Career & College Readiness  
- Career Development  
- Getting Organized in High School or College  
- Relatable to High Schoolers  
- Music Education  
- Art Education  
- Performing Arts  
- Art  
- Music