On a recent Thursday morning, the lunchroom at Boston Collegiate Charter School buzzed with more than the usual student conversations. Dressed in their best professional attire, sophomores met and mingled with more than three-dozen local professionals from a range of career fields at the school’s annual “career symposium.”

The guests represented many professions, among them architecture, medicine, law, financial management, and the trades. Students began the symposium by rotating through five-minute meetings with guests and getting to know a little bit about the different professions. Then they tested their networking skills, circulating for half an hour and seeking out specific professionals for more in-depth conversations.

Alumna Shalyse Powell-Forbes, who serves as a member of Boston Collegiate’s young professional’s board, helped to greet the visiting professionals and directed student rotations. Her mother, Nicea Powell, also participated, telling students about her work as a fleet manager for Hertz.

“I love giving back to students who are in the same position I was in and helping them navigate either college experiences or office life,” she said. “Events such as the junior internship helped prepare me for what I could expect in the real world and aided me in understanding that skills are transferable regardless of the role you take in an organization.”