Paul Woody is building more than memories as a high school senior at PRHS. He has already started down the path of crafting a career, and had the opportunity to inspire his peers to think about all the possibilities available for their futures.
Paul is a carpentry apprentice who showcased his knowledge of the trade as a presenter at Pathway Palooza, a career expo event at Palmer Ridge High School on Jan. 29. “I hope the students who listened [to my presentation] understood more about all the things carpenters do and how important carpenters are to basically everything they use,” Woody added.
Pathway Palooza at PRHS
Woody was one of more than 60 presenters who represented almost 50 different career choices at the Palmer Ridge event. Industry professionals from our community shared their career journey during this conference-style event in 30 minute presentations, and featured career fields like engineering, healthcare, carpentry, law, and welding. Students chose four sessions to attend based on their personal interests and data from YouScience, a platform that helps students explore careers based on their unique aptitudes and interests. The most attended session? The one about the FBI and National Security presented by Eric O’Hearn, Seventh Grade Science Teacher at Lewis-Palmer Middle School. O’Hearn worked as a criminal investigator and federal intelligence officer for 28 years before making the move to teaching.
“My favorite part about the event was being able to ask questions about all the career choices. It gave me insight on each and every career option, as well as ideas on what I might want to do in the future,” said Abigail Kuo, sophomore. It wasn’t only hard skills that students learned about though. Many presenters encouraged students to strengthen soft skills like communication and problem-solving. “My main takeaway is that a lot of jobs are good for leadership roles, and that, in any job, good social skills and the ability to talk with others is one of the most important skills,” Kuo added.
“A huge thank you goes out to our teachers for being excellent hosts to our guests, and of course to all our presenters,” said Angela Dawson, Career and College Counselor at PRHS. “They gave of their time and expertise to share with the next generation.”
Career Compass at LPHS
Lewis-Palmer High School hosted their own career exploration event on the same day—Career Compass. The event incorporated the same format as at PRHS with students selecting different sessions to attend about a variety of career choices.
“This was a great opportunity to get to learn about all kinds of different fields and the steps that are necessary to pursue these jobs,” said Brooke McAllister, freshman. “My favorite presentation was on physical therapy and neuro rehab because I already had an interest in PT. This presentation really helped me learn about the different ways you can specialize in PT, and the classes and schooling needed to get there.”
Students and staff at LPHS welcomed more than 50 presenters, representing career pathways such as real estate, military, mental wellness, firefighting, and radiology. For students who couldn’t decide on what career sessions to attend, the event also included sessions on interviewing skills, personal financial literacy, and emotional intelligence.
“For some students, this could be their first experience talking to someone about their career of interest,” said Robyn Hudson, Postsecondary Counselor at LPHS.
Presenters like Vanessa Adkinson, Founder of P31 Home, a crisis and safety planning consulting agency, felt encouraged by her experience at the Career Compass event. “I noticed many students were interested in learning about the journey it takes to get to their dream careers, not just the standard prerequisites. It was exciting to see so much enthusiasm coming from some smart and motivated future professionals.”
Congratulations to the counseling staff members at LPHS and PRHS who were responsible for planning and executing both events. Our school counselors wear many different hats, and offer tremendous support and guidance to our students, especially when it comes to postsecondary planning. In recognition of National School Counseling Week, D38 extends our appreciation for the incredible work that our school counselors on all of our campuses do each and every day.
The event was made possible by a School Counseling Corps Grant and a co-sponsorship from the HER Society and the Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Foundation. Thank you also to the Tri-Lakes Chamber for providing volunteers.