"When I grow up, I want to be..."

More than 300 middle and high school students tried to figure out how to finish this sentence when they shadowed their parents -- university employees -- as part of this year's Take Your Son or Daughter to Work Day.

"We've been doing this for about 10 years, and this is the biggest crowd we've ever had," said Carol Griffin, event organizer and administrative assistant for the vice president of human resources. "This day helps kids figure out what they will do when they grow up, and it's also a good day for kids to spend with their parents."

To start the day, students and parents visited hands-on workshops held by the university's various offices and departments, like the department of horticulture and the Penn State Bakery.

Coral Flanagan, a sixth grader at Park Forest Middle School, said she liked cooking omelets at the dining commons and making corsages at the department of horticulture.

"The careers in horticulture seemed interesting," Flanagan said. "I think I might want to do that someday."

Her mother, Cyndi Flanagan, who works in research at Noll Laboratory, said she thought the day was educational.

"The kids seemed to learn a lot," she said. "My favorite part was learning about the life of a mushroom at the department of horticulture. It was really interesting."

After attending three workshops, the kids and their parents attended a luncheon in the Bryce Jordan Center and then children observed their parents' jobs.

Kirk Mountz, a seventh grade student at Mount Nittany Middle School, said he plans to follow in his father's footsteps and become an engineer.

"I think I want to be an engineer because I like to build stuff," Mountz said. "My favorite part of the day was building a roller coaster at the Women in Engineering workshop."

His father, Bill Mountz, a systems engineer for Information Technology Services, said this is the second year his family has participated in Take Your Son or Daughter to Work Day.

At the luncheon, Deborah Meder, an assistant controller and former member of the Commission for Women, spoke about the changes in lifestyles over the last 50 years.

"In 1955, schools were segregated, and girls took home economics while the boys took shop," she said. "If women weren't married, they were nurses or teachers. Back then, hip hop was something a rabbit did, and [w]rap was something you did to a present."

Meder also urged the students to make the most of their education.

"You have so many opportunities, which people didn't have back in the 1950s, and you should take advantage of them," she said.

Kirk Mount said that, overall, the day was worthwhile since it taught him a lot about different careers.

"I like learning about different people's jobs and seeing what they do," he said. "It's really fun."